Welcome to Mario World
by klutz1422
Summary: Ever wonder how Mario and Luigi went from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom? Well for Luigi it wasn't easy as it involved being struck by lightning and rapidly sucked through a drainpipe. If that isn't bad enough, he has to deal with his girlfriend's curious nature and his long lost twin brother. It's time to turn this high school zero to world hero.
1. Chapter 1 The Legend

**So I decided to go a different direction when it came to how the Mario Brothers came about. This first chapter is actually more of the prologue.**

**I don't own any of the Mario characters.**

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**Chapter 1- The Legend**

The Land of Mushrooms was not always the happy kingdom it is today. There was once a time long ago before the days of Princess Peach when the darkness that covered this land rivaled even the Darklands of Bowser's Kingdom. An evil blemish on this proud kingdom's history, but a lesson that needed to be learned nonetheless.

The Mushroom Kingdom was ruled by a harsh and selfish sorcerer whose ultimate source of power was the four Stars of Light. Each one represented a different element: Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. The evil wizard had forced these stars under his control by the use of his Dark staff. He was quick to punish any who tried to stand against him and so the citizens went on living in misery under his rule.

However, one unusually calm day, a small band of heroes rose up against the evil tyrant. The battle was long and wearisome, but every time the sorcerer had the upper hand the heroes would stand stronger. The Stars sensing these heroes great power rose up against their prison and united themselves with the heroes. Each Star went to the hero they corresponded well with. The Fire Star went to the most courageous, the Earth Star went to the most reliable, the Water Star went to the most compassionate, and the Air Star aligned himself with the most intelligent.

Finally, hope was restored to the mushroom people as the heroes took control of the battle with their newly found strength. The wizard seeing that he was about to lose performed a most devious act. He used the last of his dark powers to create a giant explosion that destroyed everything within a two mile radius.

It was a bittersweet day for the people of the Mushroom Kingdom. Even though they were now free to live their lives the way they wanted, they had also lost the four noble heroes who had saved them. They searched high and low in the ruins of the dictator's castle. However, the only things left aside from the rubble were the dark staff that held his power and four crystallized hearts. Fearing the worst, the toads rebuilt the castle in honor of their dead heroes and placed the stars on display in front of the castle.

Over time though, the people saw them as a source of power rather than a shrine and tried to steal the stars for themselves. The new ruler of Mushroom Kingdom fretted over what would happen if the stars ended up in the wrong hands. Therefore, he trusted his royal advisor to hide away the stars only to bring them out on the anniversary of their freedom. The royal advisor obeyed, and to this day the original stars can be seen only once a year during the Mushroom Kingdom's Festival of Light.

"But…" the young red-headed girl egged on excited to hear her favorite part of the tale.

Her mother smiled down at her completely forgetting that this was supposed to be a bedtime story.

"But, according to the legends that follow the stars, our heroes were not so easily defeated. Legend says that right as the wizard cast the spell, the Stars of Light made a desperate attempt to save their friends by locking their spirits away inside of them. Thus, the crystallized form of the Stars was merely the sleeping spirits awaiting the chance to be awoken by a new set of heroes who will stand for the same values as them." The older woman ended.

"But what about the evil sorcerer?" The young girl asked confused.

"Oh, I don't think they'll ever have to worry about him." She assured the girl.

"But couldn't he have been sucked into his staff the same way the heroes were sucked into the stars?" She asked.

The woman cocked her head, having never put that much thought into it. "It's just a story sweetheart. And stories always have happy endings."

The young girl wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but she accepted it by turning over to go to sleep.

"Good night, Mommy." She told her.

"Sweet dreams." The mother told her kissing her on the forehead before leaving the room.

Secretly, the mother was putting a lot of thought in her daughter's words. The staff had never been recovered, and it had been the original prison of the Stars. The mother sighed. Of course it would be her duty to investigate whether or not this was true seeing as how she was one of the Star Guardians. She sadly stared back at her sleeping daughter hoping that the day would never come when she would be exposed to the dangerous secrets around her.

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**So what did you think? Bad, good, go back to the drawing board? Please review and tell me what you thought. This is the last time I'll leave you in the dark on names though. From now on the point of views will be back and forth between Daisy and Luigi.**


	2. Chapter 2 The Cutest Couple

**So I felt bad about how I left things last chapter, so I decided to upload the next one. Please read and tell me what you think.**

**I don't own any of the Mario characters, but the other kids at the high school are my own OCs.**

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**Chapter 2- The Cutest Couple**

"Luigi, come on! We're going to be late!"

"Daisy, slow down! This isn't something that will start without us."

"I know but I'm so excited!"

"You are the only person I know who gets excited about school."

Luigi and Daisy continued to jab back and forth like this, but naturally it was all in good humor. They were the best of friends, but more than that they had been a steady couple for two years. Luigi was still in awe every time he thought about it. Everyone had talked all the way through their sophomore year about how it wouldn't last. There were bets that it wouldn't last a week, then a month, or through the summer. However, against all odds the unusual pair had lasted all the way to their senior year.

That was partly why Daisy was so excited today. They were voting on senior favorites, and Daisy wanted to make it early enough to sweet talk everyone into voting her into the category she wanted: Most Athletic. Luigi knew in his heart that the auburn haired beauty would get it. She was the reason the girls basketball team made it to state last year, and already recruiters had been knocking down her door to get her to go to their college.

Luigi couldn't be prouder of his girlfriend as they walked hand in hand into the school building. Unlike his girlfriend, Luigi figured he would be lucky to avoid getting Most Likely to Fall on His Face. Daisy seemed to think that he would get Best Personality since she always told him how sweet he was. The downside was that he was also shy. He didn't even think the kids in this school would know his name if he wasn't dating Daisy.

Daisy never seemed to notice though. Another reason that Luigi had pledged his whole heart to her. She was beautiful, popular, kind, athletic, and she never seemed bothered by what people said. Luigi constantly wished he had her outlook on life.

"Come on Lou. Beth said that we were all supposed to go to the gym." Daisy said leading him towards the double doors on the other side of the building.

"I seem to remember Beth also saying the seniors were all allowed to skip the first day, and I ended up being the only one to get detention for playing hooky." Luigi remarked bitterly.

Daisy laughed. "Hey I would have stayed home too, if Coach hadn't already made the skipping class rule."

"I don't think it would have been that bad." Luigi teased as Daisy screwed up her face at him.

Daisy's basketball coach had already gathered all of the girls together and laid down some pretty hard rules. No partying, no grades below a C, no getting in trouble in class, and no skipping or else they had to run suicides for a whole week.

"Don't make me hurt you." She threatened.

Luigi smiled weakly as they made their way over to the other seniors. Beth was already down on the court, directing where everyone should be. Beth was on the basketball team with Daisy and was probably the closest thing she had to a girl friend. However, Beth was also the class president and took her job very seriously.

"Okay, people. Please take a seat, somewhere in the stands preferably." Beth hollered through the crowd of people.

Daisy led Luigi over to the jock crowd to sit down. Luigi could feel the glares from the football guys as he passed. Luigi liked playing sports, but he wasn't sporty. Therefore, he wasn't exactly welcome in that environment. Plus, there was also the issue of him dating the one girl all of them wished they had a shot with. Finally, everyone got settled in enough for Beth to be seen.

"I think we're ready to begin. Does anyone know of someone not here yet? No? Good. Alright, so this in the beginning for the voting of class favorites. We're just getting nominations right now, but when it comes time for the actual voting you can only win one category. There will be a guy and a girl for each category. I'll call out the category, you give us the names that Danielle will write on this dry erase board, and then we'll narrow it down to three per gender. The categories are Most Likely to Succeed, Most Unpredictable, Best Sense of Humor, Best Figure, Most Talented, Best Dressed, Biggest Flirt, Best Personality, and Most Athletic."

She gave them a moment to mull it over, but then jumped right into the nominations. Luigi listened as names were yelled out and written down on the board. Every once in awhile they would have to vote, but for the most part everyone did a good job of giving out the right number. He was a little irked to hear some football player yell Daisy's name for Best Figure, but she was quickly dismissed. Everyone in the entire room knew that she was going to get Most Athletic. After an entire hour of debating and voting, they had reached Best Personality.

"Okay nominations for Best Personality?" Beth asked the crowd.

"I nominate Luigi!" Daisy hollered.

Luigi could feel himself blush, and he was surprised to actually hear positive feedback aside from the snickering football guys. Daisy shot him an assuring smile and squeezed his hand. After a few more names and the vote, Luigi was left up there with Mark and Will. Both of whom were really good guys, and Luigi figured they had a better chance of winning than him. Luigi was just humbled by the fact that there were kids in their class who actually knew who he was. Of course he owed it all to the best girlfriend in the world, Daisy.

Finally, came the category that he was waiting for: Most Athletic. He would have been the one to holler out Daisy's name, but there was no need. As soon as Beth said the category's name, the crowd was practically chanting Daisy. Daisy tried to ride it off modestly, but Luigi could tell that she was happy which made him happy. After settling the class back down, Beth got some other names, hers being one of them. However, it was completely obvious who was going to win the girl's side.

"Well that concludes this round of senior favorites." Beth spoke up when Danielle whispered something in her ear. "Wait, I must have missed a category."

Luigi stared at her curiously along with the rest of the class. It wasn't like Beth to forget something, and he couldn't think of any category that wasn't covered.

"I'm sorry. I completely skipped over the Cutest Couple. So we pick three couples and vote on the boy and girl together. Any names?"

Luigi couldn't even think of any couples, aside from Daisy and him. That's when it hit him. They may be the only senior couple.

"Daisy and Luigi?" Someone offered weakly.

"Good one." Beth agreed. "Anyone else?"

"Derek and Samantha?" Someone else tried to interject.

"No they broke up weeks ago." Someone else pointed out.

It went on like that for a while with everyone trying to come up with another couple, but failing miserably. Luigi looked over concerned at Daisy as a frown seemed to grow deeper and deeper upon her face.

"Well it looks like we only have one couple. Of course voting doesn't start until two weeks from now, but Daisy and Luigi may be our default Cutest Couple." Beth cried out excitedly. "So thank you everybody for the nominations, and when it comes to Best Personality and Most Athletic just assume that those two are out."

Just like that, they were dismissed back to class. Everyone got to their feet uncertainly at the awkward ending to the morning. Luigi had Chemistry next, and Daisy had English. He turned around to tell her goodbye to find her practically in a daze.

"Daisy, you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll catch you at lunch." She told him giving him a small kiss on the cheek before turning towards her next class.

However, instead of reassuring him, Daisy only made Luigi worry more. He couldn't even imagine what was eating her up.

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**Ouch! Daisy's not happy about something. So how was it? Let me know what you thought.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Lunch Date

**Thank you everyone for reading! I appreciate the feedback and I had meant to upload this sooner. Oh well, here's the 3rd chapter!**

**I don't own any Mario Characters.**

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**Chapter 3- The Lunch Date**

Daisy walked into her English class in stunned silence. She knew that she had worried Luigi, but she didn't really care at the moment. She wanted to know who's bright idea a Cutest Couple was. It had never been a favorite before, and Daisy really wanted Most Athletic.

"Hey Daisy. What' s wrong?" The girl in front of her asked.

"Nothing, I guess." Daisy lied.

"Well if I were you I would be totally pissed about this morning." The girl continued.

Daisy briefly wondered if she hadn't have said anything if this girl would still be talking since her comment went right over her. "Why is that?"

"You mean you didn't hear? Well, probably not. I mean Beth would die if it got back around to you."

Daisy's curiosity was killing her at this point. "What do you mean? What about Beth?"

"Well I heard that she really wanted Most Athletic since that was what her mom got in high school, but she knew that you would probably win. So she went to the yearbook committee with the idea of a Cutest Couple so you and Luigi would win leaving her free to win Most Athletic."

Daisy felt a number of emotions race through her all at once. It started with perplexity, then bewilderment, finally moving on to anger and betrayal.

"Are you serious?" She practically shrieked at the girl.

"That's what I heard." The girl confirmed.

Daisy and Beth had never been very close, but Daisy had liked to consider her one of her friends. She couldn't believe that she would do something like that to her. But it all made sense when Daisy thought about it. She wanted to get out of the classroom, find Beth, and demand what her problem was right then. However, the teacher had already started lecture, and Daisy didn't want to start any more drama. She would talk to Beth after she had calmed down, and find out if it was true. Then she could kill her.

Daisy had a hard time concentrating on class for the rest of the hour, or for the rest of the morning. Finally at lunch she was able to calm down a bit knowing that she would get to spend it with her boyfriend. Luigi always seemed to have a soothing presence over her.

"Hey Daisy! You are alright, aren't you? You seemed a little out of it after the senior favorites' thing this morning." Luigi told her.

However, that just made her think of Beth which made her irritated again. "Yeah, I'm great." She snapped.

His face showed his hurt, but he got over it quickly. "Sorry I was just asking." He mumbled.

Daisy sighed. She didn't want to be mad a Luigi just because one of her friends had screwed her.

"Come on, you big baby. Let's go get something to eat." She teased pulling him over to her car.

He rolled his eyes at the baby comment, but followed her eagerly now that she was in a better mood.

Daisy turned down the street that led to his house. Seniors were allowed off campus for lunch, but Luigi never had a whole lot of money to spend anyways. So rather than leaving him alone in the cafeteria, they would switch off eating at each other's house. Daisy thought it was more healthy for her anyways, and she loved the days they would go to Luigi's house. Luigi was definitely the better cook, and Daisy loved Italian food which was his specialty. She turned into the driveway already anticipating a steaming bowl of spaghetti.

"So whatcha got for us today?" Daisy asked Luigi, as she followed him into the kitchen.

"Nothing new. Just spaghetti and meatballs… with cheesecake for dessert." He added slyly.

"Oooh, my favorite." Daisy flirted back.

He turned on the burner underneath the large pot under the stove, reheating the contents that he had already started this morning.

"Need any help." Daisy asked coming up behind him.

"Not from you. I'm still trying to clean the burned stuff off the bottom of that pan." He teased reminding her of the last time she had tried to help him cook.

"It wasn't that bad." She fake pouted.

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, since I'm such a cooking failure, I'll just go ahead and help myself to a slice of cheesecake." She teased making her way over to the fridge.

"Oh no you don't. The cheesecake is for after spaghetti." He instructed.

"I don't remember that being a rule before." She remarked innocently still inching closer to her goal.

"Don't do it Dais." Luigi warned finally pulling his attention from his work to watch her.

She already had the cake pan in her hands as he stared at her with one eyebrow raised daring her to make another move. Well she had already come this far, she might as well finish the job. With one quick swipe she raked her finger across the top and stuck it in her mouth, savoring the rich and creamy goodness.

"That's it." Luigi cried before coming at her.

She had just enough time to put the cheesecake down before taking off through the kitchen. Luigi gave chase the both of them laughing the whole way. She took him around the house before finally leading him back into the kitchen. She took another swipe of the cheesecake with her finger, but instead of sticking it in her mouth again she turned around planting it square on Luigi's nose. She tried to contain her laughter as he stopped completely caught off-guard. He reached up and wiped it off taking a taste for himself.

His eyes bugged out. "Mama Mia! That is good cheesecake."

"So that means I'm off the hook?" Daisy asked innocently.

"Not a chance." He replied back.

She tried to run again, but he already had her hooked around the waist. She giggled softly at his playful mood before leaning in to kiss him. It started out soft and sweet, but started getting deeper the longer they stay hooked together. She couldn't help but let all of her troubles melt away. She loved this side of Luigi, the one only she got to see. The playful, yet passionate Luigi who could still take her breath away with one kiss.

"Hm, is something burning?" She remarked finally coming back to her senses.

He gasped and released her, turning toward his pot of spaghetti that was angrily bubbling over from neglect.

"No, no, no!" Luigi complained. "This is why you don't belong in the kitchen." He remarked to her.

She rolled her eyes. "Is it salvageable?" She asked him.

"Yeah, maybe. Just eat off the top." He warned.

Luigi served them up a couple of bowls that he was certain would hold nothing burnt and sat them around the table. Daisy took a tentative bite, but quickly dove back in for more. Even with the small lingering taste of burnt pasta, the spaghetti was delicious.

"So are you going to finally tell me what's on your mind or just blow me off again?" Luigi questioned coming back to the subject of this morning.

Daisy sighed. Luigi knew her far too well to tell that something was wrong.

"It's just the Cutest Couple thing." She admitted guiltily.

In truth she really didn't want to tell him because she didn't want him to get offended. After she had time to cool off she realized how unfair she was being to Luigi. Being voted Cutest Couple wouldn't be the worst thing in the world since she would be in the yearbook, Luigi would be in the yearbook, and the added bonus would be that they would be in the same picture.

"Yeah, that was kind of weird." Luigi agreed. "It was almost like someone made it to keep you from winning Most Athletic."

Daisy tried to hide her surprise, but failed miserably. "That's exactly what happened! Some girl in my English class told me that it was Beth."

"Really?" He asked taken aback. "But why?"

"Supposedly her mother won when she was in high school, so she just had to win it too." Daisy angrily repeated.

"You should talk to Beth, especially since she is mostly likely going to win Most Likely to Succeed." Luigi advised.

"Really? So you're not mad that I want to back out of Cutest Couple?" She asked nervously.

"Not at all. You deserve Most Athletic. Plus, winning a category by default seems like cheating your way into the yearbook." He confessed.

Daisy beamed with happiness. How did she end up with the kindest, sweetest, and most understanding boy in school? She never understood why everyone found it so hard to believe that they were actually together. She still remembered the first day they met like it had happened just yesterday.

_Daisy walked into the new high school for the first time. She was a sophomore, and she felt a little out of place. She started desperately scanning the classrooms to find her next class. As she walked by she could hear some of the boys' commentary._

_"Hey, check out the new girl."_

_"You bet! She's smoking!"_

_"I call dibs!"_

_Daisy felt self-conscious the whole way down the hall. She didn't like the way the guys here leered at her like a piece of meat. Really, if it wasn't for the fact that this school had a girls basketball team, Daisy didn't know if she would make it through the year._

_Finally, she reached her biology class. Since it was close to the bell ringing all of the seats were taken, except for the one near the back next to a boy in green. She was a little uncertain about sitting next to a guy after listening to all of the comments in the hall. However, she saw that she didn't have a choice and took her seat._

_"Hi, can I sit here?" She asked him._

_He looked up surprised that someone was even talking to him, and merely nodded at her. She smiled appreciatively at him. He started to blush, and turned away from her. Daisy was a little confused, but downplayed the act. The teacher stood up and instructed them on how to perform their lab. Daisy thought it was a little strange to have a lab on the first day of school._

_"This is a simple density lab and so I thought it would be fun for the first day. The person you are seated next to will be your lab partner for the remainder of the year. So introduce yourselves and get started, the instructions are in your book on page 13."_

_The teacher didn't offer any further instructions, so Daisy quickly found the page which held the lab. Then she looked up to see that the boy in the green shirt had already left her table. She looked around confused as to what had happened to him. Maybe he had switched with somebody not wanting to be her partner. She was a little bit depressed at the thought, but then heard the clinking of glass. She turned around to see that he was back with all of the materials needed for the lab._

_"I thought that I had scared you off there for a minute." She laughed._

_He blushed, but continued setting up the beakers in front of them._

_"Well my name's Daisy." She introduced trying to break the silence._

_"Luigi." He told her finally speaking._

_She assumed that this was his name, and was hoping that she would be getting more than one word answers from this 'partnership'._

_"Okay Luigi. Where should we start?" She asked since he obviously had a better idea of what to do then her._

_"With step one." He replied._

_Daisy thought he was being a smart-ass, but was surprised to see the innocent look on his face. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a giggle much to the embarrassment of her partner._

_"Sorry, but I sort of had that part figured out." She tried to explain which only made things worse._

_"Then why did you ask?" His cheeks still burning from her laugh._

_"I was just…never mind."_

_They worked in silence from that point much to Daisy's displeasure. Every once in a while they would question each other's math or measurement. Finally, the bell rang. Daisy quickly gathered up her stuff accidentally knocking over one of the beakers spilling water over the side of the counter and onto the floor._

_"Oops. Hey Luigi, watch out for the!" She tried to warn him, but was too late as he stepped right into the pool falling on his back._

_She ran over to help him up only to slip herself and fall directly on top of him. She found herself inches away from his red face staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen._

_"Sorry, I was trying to warn you." She apologized, unable to turn away from those eyes._

_"It's okay. I'm usually a bit of a klutz." He told her._

_"Really? Me too." She confessed._

_"Hey Daisy? Could you maybe get off me?" He asked her._

_She quickly jumped up surprised to find her own face red._

_"Sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!" She apologized again, but to her surprise he just smiled at her. His first real smile she had seen._

_"Do I need to make sure you get to your next class alright?" He teased, his earlier shyness temporarily vanishing._

_Daisy wanted to argue that she was perfectly able to take care of herself, but something about the sincerity of his look made her agree._

Daisy brought herself back from the memory. She realized that the empty bowl that had previously held spaghetti was being replaced with a slice of cheesecake. Luigi had even heated up caramel to drizzle over the top, just the way she liked it. She realized that she shouldn't be so concerned with the petty high school drama. The only thing that really mattered was that she would be in the yearbook, she had a successful basketball season ahead of her, and she had a caring boyfriend that would love her no matter what.

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**Sorry about the length of the chapter, but I was trying to get some background info in. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4 The Day

**Alright, I finally found time to post the new chapter! Just to those of you who were wondering I introduce Mario in this chapter. However, it's only a flashback. It explains where he's been though, and it won't be the only time he appears in this fic. In fact, he and Peach will make an appearance in just a few chapters. Sorry for making you wait!**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

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**Chapter 4- The Day**

Luigi was glad that Daisy was in a better mood. He hated seeing his girlfriend upset, but then again he didn't blame her. He couldn't believe that Beth would do that to her. Luigi contemplated that for the rest of the day which was odd for him since he was usually so attentive during class.

Finally, school got out and Luigi headed over to the gym. This was his normal routine since he didn't own a car. Daisy picked him up to go to school, Daisy took him to one of their houses for lunch, and then he would wait until she got out of practice for her to take him home.

He would sometimes get frustrated about having to depend on his girlfriend all of the time. He could still remember the pained looks on his parents' face when he asked for his first car. His parents just didn't have the money for that kind of stuff. For one thing his mother was a receptionist at a doctor's office, and his father owned his own plumbing business which had been tanking in the last five years. In fact, ever since _The Day_ nothing had been going right for his family.

"Hey Luigi! Want a ride?"

Luigi looked up surprised to hear someone addressing him. He turned back towards the parking lot to see Danielle in her lime green convertible mustang. She was smiling at him, but that was what made this so uncomfortable for him. Nobody ever talked to him when Daisy wasn't around. It was just so odd that he couldn't help but be suspicious.

"Well actually, I was just going to wait on Daisy." He explained.

"Oh, I heard that their coach is making them stay late today. Come on. I won't bite."

Luigi blushed slightly, but decided there probably was no harm in riding with Danielle. He sent Daisy a quick text saying he got a ride knowing that she wouldn't see it until she got out of practice. Then he cautiously slid into the passenger seat.

"See this isn't that bad." She commented halfway there.

"Yeah, just different." Luigi remarked quietly.

"Different can be good." She answered back seductively.

Luigi blinked rapidly. He thought maybe he was hearing things. After all, Danielle could not be flirting with him. Luigi turned away praying for this ride to be over with. Finally, after what seemed like entirety she pulled up in his driveway. Luigi let out a sigh of relief and hopped out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Danielle. I'll see you tomorrow." He called back practically running up to his door.

"Hold on, Luigi. There's no rush." She cried out turning off her car and sauntering up behind him.

Luigi turned around to find Danielle uncomfortably close. In fact, her face was only mere inches away from his. Blushing, he rapidly tried to back up out of her space. However, she had him pinned up against his door.

"Um, D-Danielle. W-What are you d-doing?" He stuttered, surprised by her sudden interest in him.

She placed a finger on his lips. "Don't worry this isn't something we have to tell your little girlfriend."

Luigi was really freaking out now. Really he didn't understand why she was acting like this at all. As far as he knew all of the girls in his class hated him.

Danielle started leaning in to kiss him while Luigi was thinking. Luigi closed his eyes bracing himself for the worst, which was exactly what he got.

"Luigi! What are you doing?"

Danielle started to back off looking at the looming figure behind Luigi. He sighed with relief having not cheated on his girlfriend, but then went back to panic mode when he realized who's voice that was.

"Um, I'll see you tomorrow Luigi." Danielle hollered already sprinting to her car.

"Yeah you better leave Sweetheart! Just consider yourself lucky that I'm not on the phone with your parents!"

Luigi sighed with embarrassment. Not only did Luigi get caught almost kissing another girl, but it just so happened that his dad witnessed the whole thing.

Danielle peeled out of the driveway without so much as a glance in the rearview mirror. Luigi very slowly turned around to face his father. The forbidding figure in the doorway was anything but friendly. His father glared at him with his arms crossed.

"Dad, it's not what you-"

"In this house, now!" He yelled.

Luigi hung his head and marched past his father. Of course he would see this as being his fault.

"I cannot believe you were even considering doing that! Have I taught you nothing? You should always be true to your woman!"

"Dad, it wasn't like that." Luigi tried to defend.

However, that just seemed to make it worse. Luigi was starting to get sick of automatically being the one to screw up. How it was never anybody else's fault. He didn't know if it was because he was thinking about it earlier or if the stress from his father's yelling was getting to him, but he suddenly snapped.

"You would have believed _Him_!"

Luigi's father stopped yelling shocked by Luigi's outburst. Luigi himself couldn't believe he had just brought it up like that. He instantly regretted it after seeing his father's pained expression.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

His father held up his hand and turned away. Luigi didn't blame him, but it hurt all the same. Luigi ran past the kitchen where he had just been with Daisy mere hours ago, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. He slammed the door behind him and flopped on his bed. He couldn't stop the salty liquid leaking from his eyes as he let out all of his frustration and sorrow.

Luigi wondered why he was thinking about this so much. He looked up at the calendar on his wall and realized that tomorrow was the anniversary of _The Day_. Five years ago tomorrow was the day that everything changed for his family. The day they went from being a family of four to a family of three. It was the day when Luigi had lost his twin, his older brother, Mario. Luigi could still remember _The Day_ so vividly in his mind.

"_Luigi? Luigi! Hey, are you in there?" Came the voice from the other side of the door. _

_Luigi finally got up from his desk to open up his bedroom door. Mario stood on the other side grinning wildly. Luigi moved aside so his brother could enter his room._

"_What is it Mario?" Luigi asked annoyed._

"_What makes you think I want anything?" He teased._

"_Because you're in here." Luigi answered back._

"_I can't believe my own brother wouldn't believe that I just wanted to hang out, maybe catch up a little. It's not like we see each other during the day." Mario complained teasingly._

_It was true, since they had started middle school Mario had been the popular jock while Luigi was his dorky younger brother. Of course Luigi thought that those six minutes between their births should hardly count._

"_As convincing as that is, I'm finding it difficult to believe you." Luigi mocked._

_Mario got that glint in his eye. Before Luigi could get away Mario had him in a headlock knocking off Luigi's green 'L' hat to playfully rub his knuckles against Luigi's skull._

"_Alright, alright! I surrender." Luigi laughed._

"_Just making sure you remembered who was boss." Mario laughed along with him. "But you're right. I need to ask a favor."_

"_I'm shocked." Luigi cried sarcastically._

"_Watch it." Mario warned. "Anyways, Pauline texted me and wants me to meet her down by the park."_

_Luigi's mood instantly turned sour at the mention of his girlfriend. Pauline had been anything but a good influence on Mario. The only reason she even talked to him was because he was the most popular guy at their school. However, she hated Luigi and would always make fun of him when Mario wasn't around. Luigi never said anything to Mario because he always seemed so happy, but he was finding it hard to want to do something for him when she was involved._

"_It's like ten o'clock! What could she possibly want?" Luigi questioned._

"_I don't know, but I have to go. Can you cover for me?" _

_Luigi groaned. He hated lying to his parents for stupid reasons._

"_Look, it'll only be for a few minutes. Twenty tops. I'll be out and back before anyone even realizes I'm gone."_

"_Then why do I need to cover for you?"_

"_In case something happens like Mom checking up on us or Dad wanting me to watch the game."_

_Luigi sighed. He hated having to pull this kind of stuff for Mario. In fact, one time Mario convinced him that if he wore Mario's red 'M' hat then their parents would buy that it was Mario. Needless to say it didn't work, and Luigi got into the biggest amount of trouble. That was always how it was though, Mario was the ideal son. Luigi was just the added bonus they had to deal with._

"_Alright, but twenty minutes in all you have." Luigi conditioned._

"_No problem. Thanks bro!" Mario took off towards the door giving Luigi a thumbs-up._

_Luigi shook his head and went back to working on his homework. After all, the park was only a couple of blocks away. Mario couldn't get in that much trouble._

_Twenty minutes came and went without any interruptions. Then thirty, an hour passed by without any word from Mario. Luigi had gone ahead and told his parents that Mario crashed early. He mentally chalked up another one Mario owed him. Luigi was a little worried, but he didn't think that it was any big deal yet. By two o'clock Luigi was in full panic mode. He checked every room in the house for a sign that his brother had come back. Finally, he started pulling on his shoes ready to run down to the park and strangle Mario for making him worry._

_Luigi crossed the dark streets scanning the park for his brother. However, the red clad brother was nowhere to be found. Luigi was definitely worried now. Where could he possibly be? Luigi called out Mario's name hoping that his brother was messing with him. That's when he heard a crunch beneath his shoe. He reached down and picked up a cell phone, Mario's cell phone. He felt his stomach drop as he realized that his brother was gone, and this time he wasn't coming back._

_

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**Sorry, for ending on a cliffhanger! And a flashback on top of that. I'm not exactly ready to reveal all of my secrets yet, but like I said earlier you will find out what happened to Mario. Thanks for reading and please let me know how I did! **


	5. Chapter 5 The Drama

**Wow, sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I was wanting to get this chapter just right. I'm not sure it's there yet but its good for now. If I feel like tweaking it later I'll let you know.**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

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**Chapter 5- The Drama**

Daisy was not looking forward to basketball practice because of one big reason: Beth. Even though Luigi had helped mellow Daisy's earlier anger, she found it all coming back to the surface when she saw her in the locker room.

"Beth we need to talk." Daisy pulled her aside trying to remain calm.

"Sure, what about?" She asked innocently.

"What's with the Cutest Couple category?" Daisy snapped not in the mood to play games.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"There's never been a Cutest Couple before, and it makes no sense to have one now when there is only one senior couple. Unless, you're trying to keep me out of another category." Daisy spelled out for her.

"Do you think I'm purposely sabotaging your chance to win Most Athletic?" Beth asked with mock surprise.

"Are you?" Daisy accused, unphased by her little performance.

"Ah Daisy. You're taking this the wrong way. I mean let's face it. Luigi is not going to win Best Personality. I thought that this way he would be in the yearbook, right there with you." Beth explained placing her hand on her arm.

Daisy started getting the feeling that Beth had already pre-planned this speech of hers. However, it did exactly what it was designed to do. It made Daisy feel selfish and guilty.

"He could win." Daisy tried to defend unenthusiastically. "Besides, Luigi and I talked it over and we would rather not win a favorite at all compared to being given a spot."

Beth frowned obviously not expecting this. "Oh well, okay. If that's how you guys feel, I'll talk to the yearbook committee tomorrow."

Daisy felt relieved. She had been too quick to turn on her friend. Beth had been on her side the whole time. She should know better than to listen to ideal gossip.

"Thanks Beth. You're the best." Daisy told her.

"I know." She teased leading them out of the locker room.

Practice was long and grueling, but Daisy would be lying to say that she didn't enjoy it. The lining up and running, maybe not, but she loved playing the game. Daisy was always the last one to leave since she would stay later to shoot, so it was six before she got out. She instantly felt bad realizing that Luigi would have been waiting on her the whole time. She walked into the gym surprised that he wasn't sitting in the stands. Come to think of it, she didn't seem him throughout the entire practice.

She figured he must be waiting by her car but had the same luck. No Luigi. She got in her car and started it up waiting for him to show up. She reached over to turn on her phone since she had left it after lunch and found Luigi's text. She was surprised by Danielle's generosity, but didn't worry about it too much. She sent him a reply and pulled out towards her house.

She lived on the other side of the school from Luigi which was a bummer when she wanted to walk over to his place or vice versa. Her house was ridiculously bigger because her father was a doctor and her mother worked for the government. From what Daisy understood it was one of those, I'd tell you but then have to kill you, jobs.

She was usually on her own until about eight, but she was surprised to see her mom's car in the driveway. Excited for some real girl time, Daisy pulled up and hopped out fast. She gathered up her stuff and entered into the large foyer.

"Mom? You home?" Daisy hollered into the dark house.

She passed through the foyer into the living room and set down her bags. Eventually she would have to lug it upstairs to her room, but for the moment it was fine right there.

"Mom!" Daisy tried again louder.

She went on into the dining room then the kitchen hoping to find her, but no such luck. She finally went back to the foyer to walk up the large staircase where all of their bedrooms were located. She tried her mother's room, the study, and her father's den with the same results. Finally, she leaned over the balcony at the end of the hallway to see movement in the greenhouse below.

Grinning wildly Daisy ran back down the stairs and out the back door, headed toward the greenhouse. She was about to open the door when her mom appeared before her.

"There you are. I was afraid you were avoiding me." Daisy told her giving her a hug.

"Daisy!" Her mother cried shocked. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Yep, I didn't have to give Luigi a ride today so I got home fairly early."

"Why? What's wrong?" Her mom asked concerned.

"Nothing, he just caught a ride with someone else." Daisy assured her.

Her mother started leading her back into the house. She was acting different from usually being jumpy and calculating. Daisy figured it must have been a bad day even though she didn't know what a bad day at work would consist of for her mom.

"Daisy, are you happy?" Her mother finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Daisy asked wrinkling up her nose at the strange behavior of her mother.

"With me, your father, basketball, this life. Are you happy?" Her mother asked again.

"Well, yeah. I mean today kind of sucked, but I would say overall life is good."

"And what about Luigi? Is that a serious commitment?"

"Mom, what is it with your twenty questions?" Daisy teased but her mother remained in that same anxious state.

"Just answer me. How serious are you and Luigi?"

Daisy thought about it. "I guess pretty serious. I mean, we haven't talked about marriage or anything, but I could definitely see myself settling down with him. Why?"

Her mom didn't respond right away. In fact, she seemed more upset by the answer.

"Mom, you're kind of freaking me out." Daisy commented.

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry sweetie. I guess work is getting to me. In fact, I'm going to have to go back to the office here pretty quick." She admitted.

Daisy tried to hide her devastation. "But Mom. I thought we could hang out, and have some girl time."

"I'm so sorry Daisy." Her mom said before moving towards the door. However, she stopped right before she turned the knob and looked back at her daughter. "Daisy, just promise me one thing. When the time comes, no matter how heartbreaking, you'll just let events unfold. Don't try to stop it, okay?"

Daisy was so completely lost. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

"Look all I'm saying is that certain people come in and out of your life. And when it's their time to leave, you need to just let them go."

"Mom, you're kind of scaring me." Daisy confessed feeling rather uncomfortable.

"I know, but someday you'll understand." She told her giving a sad smile. "I love you, Daisy."

"Love you too Mom." Daisy told her giving her a hug.

For whatever reason this felt like a real goodbye. Daisy was getting the strange feeling that she would never see her mom again. She blew off her paranoia and watched as her mother walked through the front door, leaving Daisy alone in an empty house.

Feeling lonely, she tried texting Luigi seeing if he wanted to come over and keep her company. She didn't get a reply back which was strange, but not out of character. Luigi probably could have misplaced his phone or was too busy working on homework.

Instead, Daisy found herself going through her normal routine. She went into the kitchen, pulled out some leftovers to heat up, turned on the TV in the living room, acted like she was doing her homework, ate, and put on her pjs. She wouldn't go to bed until one of her parent's got home, but she liked being comfty after a long day.

She stared at her phone hoping to have gotten a text by now when Danielle's number popped up. Surprised Daisy clicked the button to see the text.

**Scroll down if you want to see the kind of boyfriend you really have.**

Daisy was slightly unnerved, but went ahead and obeyed seeing the photo. It was a picture of Danielle and Luigi at Luigi's house. However, that wasn't the disturbing part. What freaked Daisy out was the fact that they were practically all over each other.

At first Daisy was hurt, but then she started noticing some of the things that were off about the photo. For one thing Luigi looked pinned up against his door. Secondly, she noticed that he looked flustered and embarrassed. Then she saw the smile on Danielle's face. She realized that this had been staged, for whatever reason Daisy had yet to fathom.

She quickly texted Luigi telling him that they needed to talk. She instantly got a reply back much to her satisfaction. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't just seeing what she wanted to see. However, the more she looked the more confident she was in her assumption. She was starting to get mad at Danielle and figured that Luigi wouldn't be the only one she interrogated tomorrow. She was going to find out what those senior girls' deal was one way or another.

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**Like I said not my best chapter, but I think it works for now. Also I'm only a few chapters away from sending them to Mario World so please be patient with me. Thanks and don't forget to review.**


	6. Chapter 6 The Dream

**In the spirit of the holidays I decided to post another chapter. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

**Chapter 6- The Dream**

Luigi didn't realize he had nodded off until he sat up in his bed cold sweat dripping from his body. His eyes felt thick and puffy from all his crying and he couldn't stop his heart from its rapid beating. He checked the time on his clock. It was nine o'clock. He probably had missed dinner, and more than likely no one had been in to check on him.

He reached into the pocket of his jeans to find three messages sitting in his inbox from Daisy.

**No prob, ttyl**

**Do u want 2 come over?**

**U O me an explanation tomorrow **

He sighed and texted her back, realizing that the last one had been sent only moments ago. It was probably what had waked him up.

**Sorry was asleep I'll C U tomorrow**

He laid the phone on the desk not waiting for her reply and went down to see what his parents had made for dinner. He heard the TV on in the living room and figured his father was still up. He wasn't too surprised to see a couple of pizza boxes on the counter. It should have been his night to cook since his mom was supposed to be working late. He figured that his father must have ordered it after Luigi hadn't shown back up in the kitchen. He picked up a slice and turned to go back to his room when found his mother in the doorway.

Luigi didn't know what to say. He could tell from the look on her face, his father had told her what had happened.

"Luigi, sit down please." She started.

Luigi went back to the kitchen and took a seat opposite from her at the table. He timidly took a bite of his pizza waiting for the big speech that he knew was coming.

"Luigi, what happened today?" She asked patiently.

Luigi swallowed. "With Danielle or with Dad?"

"Both." She clarified.

Luigi was afraid she would say that, but he still spilled out his side of the story not leaving anything out. Every once in awhile he would stop to nibble on his pizza, but his mother never interrupted him during his story.

"And that's the truth?" His mother asked when he finished.

He was close to being sarcastic, but he knew better than to do that to his mother. "Yes." He sighed.

She looked thoughtful. "Luigi, that wasn't fair to Daisy. I think for starters you should apologize as soon as you can to her."

Luigi wanted to point out that nothing had happened, but he figured he should do it anyways. It was probably better for her to hear it from him before word got out.

"Yes Mother."

"Now about this thing with your father. He was just trying to look out for you. You didn't have to bring _Him_ up." She stated her voice softening when she mentioned _Him. _

Luigi could feel his frustration coming back. "Maybe I wanted to bring _Him_ up. Maybe I'm tired of not being able to say my own brother's name. I mean, we don't really know if he's dead. He could have just run away."

His mother flinched. She was always like this if they came to close to talking about Mario's disappearance. It had been five years and no one had heard anything. Nobody had found a body, dead or alive, there was no kidnapping note, and he didn't act like he was running away. It was almost as if he had just been erased from the world.

"Luigi, please don't do this." His mother cried being on the verge of tears.

Luigi sighed again. "I'm sorry. It's just that tomorrow is _The Day_, and I'm finding it harder to deal with it every year." He apologized.

His mother jumped up and hugged him. "I know. And believe me when I say that your father and I loved you both equally. I want you to know that no matter what, we are always on your side."

Luigi tried not to cry at his mother's affection. He excused himself and headed back towards his room on the lame excuse of having homework. His mother watched him go with a loving and caring look in her eyes. As soon as Luigi closed the door back to his room, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay up much longer. His mother's outburst of emotion had caused his already tired eyes to get weepy again. So for the second time that night, he cried himself to sleep.

_Luigi felt like he was looking through a window. He saw a large kitchen with a bunch of mushroom-headed people running around. The window zoomed past all of these strange creatures to get to the dining room table at the end. He was surprised to see an older, sadder version of his brother sitting there. Luigi wanted so desperately to reach through the window and hug his brother, tell him how sorry he was. He started pounding on the glass hoping to break through, but it held strong. This window was merely for him to observe._

_He noticed that his brother wasn't alone. Sitting across from Mario was a beautiful girl in a long pink gown, with a golden crown upon her equally golden hair. He didn't know what her relationship with his brother was, but he could already tell that she was a definite step up from Pauline._

"_Mario, are you not excited about Mario Day?" The girl asked._

"_Sort of. Mario Day is kind of a bittersweet day for me." Mario responded._

"_Because you are sad that you came?" The girl asked disappointed._

_Mario sat up. "No, not at all. I've loved the time I've spent here with you Princess. It's just that every year we have Mario Day, I'm reminded of my family, especially my brother. Did I tell you that I promised him I would be right back? Twenty minutes top."_

"_I'm sorry Mario, but I'm sure he understands."_

"_I doubt it. He probably thinks I just left. Abandoned him. If I hadn't of dropped my stupid phone, maybe I could have called and told him I was fine."_

_The princess put her hand on Mario's arm sympathetically. Then the window started to back out despite Luigi's protests. It disappeared altogether leaving Luigi alone in the white nothingness._

"_Wait, I still want to know! Who was that? What happened to my brother?" Luigi cried out knowing he wouldn't get an answer. It's been the same thing for the past five years. He would always make up some explanation for his brother's disappearance and it would never be anything more than his imagination. _

"_Luigi." A voice called._

_Luigi looked up from the little ball he had made himself into. Coming closer was a silhouette of a person. As they neared, Luigi found that he recognized her._

"_Aren't you Daisy's mom?" He asked._

_The woman smiled. She wore a long dark cloak with a hood that tried to hide her face. However, Luigi could recognize her anywhere. She looked exactly like Daisy or Daisy looked exactly like her._

"_Call me Cynthia." She told him._

"_Okay, Cynthia. Where am I?" He asked._

"_This is the dimension between worlds. You were wondering about your brother almost as much as he you, so I brought you here to see him."_

"_So that really was Mario? Who was the girl, the princess? And what were all of the weird mushroom things?"_

_She laughed. "So many questions and so little time. But you have yet to ask me the most pressing one."_

_Luigi thought about it and was pretty sure he knew what she wanted him to ask. "Why did you bring me here now?"_

_She beamed. "There it is. Your journey is about to begin Luigi, and I needed a way to explain the tasks that were ahead of you. You will soon be joining Mario in the other world because I will have need of you when the time comes."_

_Luigi didn't know what to say. Part of him realized that this was a dream and therefore none of it mattered anyways. But another part wanted to go to really be in the kitchen where his brother was. That part of him was ready to start this journey right now if it brought him towards Mario._

"_I must leave you now, but don't worry. It will be your turn before you know it." She said turning around to leave him. "Oh and one more thing. My daughter has suffered enough. I don't want to see her get hurt any more. Let her go before she has another one she loves leave her." She confessed sadly before disappearing._

Luigi sat up in bed instantly awake. He turned and started at the clock reading seven o'clock on the screen. He jumped out of bed to get ready for school thinking about the dream he had just had. It had been so vivid, but at the same time he knew that it couldn't be true. He was only fooling himself if he really believed that Mario was in some sort of magical, fairytale land that he would soon be traveling too. However, no matter how much logic tried to dictate his mind, he found himself clinging to that hope.

He finished getting ready and ran down to the front porch to wait on Daisy. That's when he realized the worst part of his dream. In order to get back his brother, he would have to give up Daisy. Was it worth that? He shook his head trying to clear the thought from his mind. It was only a dream. Reality was that he and Daisy would finish up school, go to college, and start their lives together. There were no mushroom people, no princess, and unfortunately no Mario. Wishing and dreaming would only give him heartache, and Luigi was through with crying for awhile.

As his girlfriend pulled up, he had no idea of how this would go from being _The Day_ to being his day. He was completely oblivious to Cynthia watching sadly from another dimension as he failed to follow her advice.

"Someday this will all make since, I promise." She whispered not knowing who she was talking to more. The boy who was destined for a heroic life in the other world, or the daughter who's share of heartbreaks were only beginning.

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**Okay, I know that you are probably briming with questions about Cynthia. I don't want to reveal to much right now, but she does play an important part in this story even though she won't show up again for awhile. Sorry, but I can't give up all of my secrets. At least now you know that Mario didn't die, he is safely in Mushroom Kingdom with Peach and they will both be in this story. It's just going to take me a little bit to get to them. Thanks for all of the reviews so far!**


	7. Chapter 7 The Betrayal

**Wow, really sorry about the late update. I had actually meant to post a long time ago, but I wasn't liking how it turned out and tried to do some major editing. Just a warning this is one of my saddest chapters thus far. Sorry I don't mean to make it like that, but its necessary. Also there is a little more language in this one. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up.**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

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**Chapter 7- The Betrayal**

Daisy woke up hoping that today was going to be better than yesterday. However, something told her it was going to be worse. Maybe it was just the anticipation of having to talk to Luigi about Danielle that made her so distressed. She crawled out of bed and walked down to the kitchen to make a bowl of cereal.

That's when she noticed her father. He was sprawled out across the dining room table, an empty bottle of whiskey next to him, and a piece of paper crumbled in his hand. Daisy was horrified having never seen her father like this.

"Dad? Daddy!" Daisy cried desperately trying to shake him awake.

After a few more tries, he finally gave a soft groan and turned towards Daisy with bloodshot eyes.

"Daisy?" He asked weakly.

"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?" Daisy demanded worriedly.

"Your mother, gone." He muttered his eyes filling with tears again.

Daisy felt her heart freeze. "What about Mom? Did she get into an accident? Is she hurt? Oh my God! She's not…not…"

Daisy couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She didn't even want to consider the possibility that her mom could be dead. Luckily, her father shook his head dispelling these scenarios.

"No Daisy. She's gone." He repeated tears staining his cheeks.

Daisy could feel her own eyes well up at seeing her father like this, but she managed to keep it hidden.

"Gone where?" Daisy asked weakly.

Her father merely handed her the wrinkled paper in his hands. Daisy quickly realized that it was a letter from her mother. She read over it again and again, each time comprehending less and less.

_Dear Henry,_

_I never wanted to do this to you, but it's beyond my control. I have to leave and I don't think I'm coming back this time. Take care of Daisy. She's going to need you now more than ever. I'm sorry, but this is goodbye. You'll always be in my heart._

_Love Cynthia_

"What is this?" Daisy shrieked, grief starting to climb its way up. "Mom wouldn't…Mom couldn't…but we need her."

Daisy was having more and more trouble spitting up the words as bitter sobs tried to fight their way into her throat. Her dad wrapped her up in a hug.

"I don't know why she did this Daisy." He tried to soothe.

However, Daisy could hear the bitter betrayal in his own words. She suddenly felt out of breath. She needed to get away. This couldn't be reality. She broke away from her father.

"I-I have to go to school." She told him weakly.

At first he looked hurt, but then he nodded his head understanding. "I'll be here when you get home." He told her.

Daisy barely heard him before she started running back upstairs. She quickly changed clothes and grabbed her bag. Without another glance at her father she ran for her car wondering if she was going to wake up from this nightmare anytime soon.

She started thinking back on what her mom had been saying the night before. Daisy had known then that something was wrong, but she had been too oblivious to put it together. She couldn't help but wonder why though? What was so terrible about her mom's life that she had to leave? She always seemed to look at Dad lovingly, so what changed?

Daisy was jerked from her thoughts when the passenger side door opened. She realized that she was already at Luigi's house and he was getting in like he normally did. However, today was anything but normal. She put the car in reverse without giving her usual greeting. Luigi hardly seemed to notice as he seemed to be in another world.

They were halfway to school when Daisy remembered that she had a bone to pick with Luigi.

"So Luigi" She started. "I got an interesting text last night."

Luigi whipped his head around to give her his attention.

"About what?" He asked nervously.

"Something about you and Danielle at your house. Care to elaborate?" She asked dangerously.

Luigi instantly groaned and started mumbling in Italian. This made Daisy crack a small smile. She had come to learn the hard way that when Luigi was speaking Italian, he was actually cursing. The first time he did it in front of her, she had assumed that it was something else and repeated it in front of his parents. It was after his mother's horrified look and his father boxing Luigi on the ears that she learned different.

"Look Daisy, it's not what you think! She came on to me and I tried to push her away and then my dad caught me…" Luigi was speaking a hundred miles an hour until Daisy finally interrupted.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down! So Danielle was the one who started this?"

Luigi took a deep breath and then finally faced her with his big puppy-dog eyes. "I'm so sorry Daisy. I didn't want you to find out this way. But yes. She said she was just offering me a ride home. And then she started flirting with me. And then I was running to the door only to get caught by her. And…are you mad?"

Mad didn't even begin to describe how Daisy felt, but it wasn't aimed at Luigi. For once, his presence could do nothing to soothe her boiling blood. Instead of answering him, she whipped into the parking lot and threw her car in park directly behind Danielle. The girl was leaning against her car talking to Beth and some of the other girls. However, she looked up at Daisy first in surprise, and then in fear as the angry girl stalked toward her.

"You have some nerve!" Daisy yelled getting right in Danielle's face.

The other girl backed away quickly, too frightened to utter a single syllable.

"Calm down Daisy, what's the problem?" Beth asked getting between the two girls.

"She was trying to get Luigi to cheat on me!" Daisy shrieked attracting the attention of everyone in the lot.

"Daisy I would never do that, he tried coming on to me and-"

Daisy interrupted her before she could continue to lie. "Don't even try it! I heard the story from Luigi and I totally would believe him over a lying _slut_ any day!"

Everyone gasped. Luigi tried to step forward and place a comforting hand on Daisy's shoulder, but she shook it off. She didn't want to calm down, and she did not want to let this bitch off the hook for trying to ruin the one thing going right in Daisy's life.

Beth narrowed her eyes at Daisy. "Fine, if you want to play it that way then maybe you should get all your facts straight. Like for starters, this wasn't Danielle's idea. It was mine."

Daisy felt like she had been shocked. "W-What? Why? Why you?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Because you were right. About everything. I wanted Most Athletic and Danielle wanted Most Likely to Succeed. However, you weren't satisfied with being Cutest Couple like we originally planned to get you out of the category. So I thought if you two broke up right before playoffs, your game would be off making me look like the all-star."

Daisy felt numb with anger. She couldn't ever remember hating anyone as much as she hated Beth right then. Beth tried to ruin everything for her, and for what? A freaking yearbook picture? She was humiliated, livid, and depressed because of what she had to deal with early this morning. That's why, even though she would be suspended and kicked off the team, she didn't hesitate to punch Beth right in the face. She got a small satisfaction from watching the girl scream as blood ran from her now broken nose.

"Daisy." Luigi stated in shock, unsure of what else to say.

She gave him a small apologetic look before she got back in her car. Before she could rethink her decision and talk herself out of it, she drove off. It was dumb of her to think that today would be any better after the crappy beginning. She didn't go home right away. Instead she just drove as fast as she could as far as she could. Finally, she had to pull over as her tears overpowered her vision. She curled up in a ball in the driver's seat and wept. She didn't even notice the rain begin to fall as she unleashed all of the hurt and betrayal that had befallen her. She just wished today would disappear. That she still had her mom, still had basketball, and still had a normal life.

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**Poor Daisy! :( Like I said pretty sad, but it'll all make sense here pretty soon. On a more exciting note, I've already started the next chapter and should have it up by the end of the week...hopefully. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. Chapter 8 The Lightning

**See I told you guys I would have this up by the end of the week. I even had an hour and half to spare. :) Okay, in all seriousness I was totally excited to finally get this chapter done. This is the beginning of Luigi and Daisy's adventures so yeah, pretty important.**

**Nothing about Mario belongs to me. (Sad day!)**

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**Chapter 8- The Lightning**

Luigi watched his girlfriend go feeling completely useless and guilty. This was all his fault. If only he had waited on Daisy that day instead of getting in with Danielle. He turned around to see Danielle and a couple of the other girls escorting the bleeding Beth to the nurse's office. Luigi felt a small amount of pride after watching Daisy stand up for herself, but at the same time he realized that she could never play on the basketball team again. Although their coach had a bunch of dumb running rules, fighting was indefinitely forbidden. It was an automatic removal from the team and the fact that Daisy had punched another team member made it that much worse.

Luigi walked to his first class completely overwhelmed with guilt. She had lost her scholarships, her status, and her friends all in one blow. And it was all because of him. Luigi wasn't faking it when he excused himself to the nurse's office for feeling sick. He could literally feel his stomach churning from all the thoughts in his head.

The nurse called his parents and they picked him up in a matter of minutes. Neither one of them were working since it was _The Day_. A fact that made Luigi feel worse. They didn't pester him with questions over his well being as he made his way to his room. He lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. This could quite possibly be the worst day of his life, just like it was five years ago.

He didn't fight it this time as the memories swam before him. His brother would have known what to do. Mario would never have gotten himself in this situation. Mario always worked well under pressure. He would have stopped Danielle, he would have told Daisy right away, and he would have stepped up and stopped Daisy from ruining her life.

Luigi let a few tears escape, but it was nothing compared to the waterworks the previous night. He figured he was all cried out. He turned his head towards his window to notice that it had started raining. He got up and stared out into the streets that were quickly becoming darker with the falling liquid. Luigi looked up at the black thunderhead moving in from the west and realized this would be a pretty big storm. Surprisingly enough, Luigi found thunderstorms to be quite serene. Mario used to find it hilarious that Luigi would jump at every little noise or creak in the dark. However, when it came to storms the bigger, the more relaxing.

Luigi sighed thinking about Daisy. He wondered if she was home doing the same thing he was. He pulled out his phone to text her, but lost his nerve. He was afraid that she wouldn't want to talk to him. What if she loathed him right now? He wouldn't blame her. A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed outside his window followed by the calming rumble of thunder.

The display gave him a surge of courage to go see his girlfriend. Regardless of how she felt, he needed to find her. After all, she would need him to be there and comfort her. He started running out of the room before he stopped. He looked back on his desk where his old green hat with the letter 'L' was sitting. He hadn't worn the hat since Mario had disappeared. However, something compelled him to put it on. Maybe it was the fact that it was _The Day_ or the unexplainable courage that reminded him of his brother. He turned to look at himself in the mirror. Where the hat had once been too big, it was now a perfect fit. He decided he liked the way it looked on him, and finally made his way down the stairs. His parents looked up as he entered the living room.

"Luigi? How are you feeling honey?" His mother asked getting up to feel his forehead, but stopped short at the sight of what he was wearing.

"What are you doing?" She asked incredulously.

"I need to borrow the car." He blurted.

The both looked at him in surprise.

"Please, it's important." He added.

"Luigi, you can't go out in this storm. It's too dangerous." His mother argued.

"Mother, I'll be fine. I won't be going too far, and I'll be back shortly. I promise."

His mother looked like she wanted to argue some more, but his father sighed.

"Don't wreck it." He instructed throwing him the keys.

Luigi smiled in relief. "Don't worry. I'll have back before you know it. In one piece even."

He started running for the garage. However, his mother stopped him by wrapping him up in her arms.

"I love you, Luigi. Please, please be careful." She begged him.

Luigi returned the hug, touched by her worries. However, he didn't know what else he could tell her. Finally, he backed out of her embrace giving her an assuring smile. She smiled back. She looked like she was going to run her hand over his hat, but stopped herself. Luigi felt a small pang knowing what she was thinking. However, before he could worry her more he turned and went out to the garage.

He backed the car down the driveway into the rain splashed streets with only one destination in mind: Daisy's house. He didn't run into a single problem along the way, and in a matter of minutes was in the driveway getting out of the car. He slowly walked across the yard not caring that he was getting wet. All of his earlier bravery was melting away with the anxiety of seeing Daisy. He was standing on the porch debating on knocking. However, he finally squared his shoulders and brushed off his fear. He was here for Daisy that was all that mattered. Plus, he would feel pretty stupid for coming all this way to not even go inside.

He was just getting ready to knock when he heard the splash of tires in the puddles in the driveway. He turned around surprised to see Daisy just pulling up. He mentally slapped himself for not noticing that her car wasn't there early before running back across the yard.

"Daisy!" He called out to her.

Her head poked up in surprise. "Luigi?"

He was glad to see her and glad that he came over. However, something was bothering him. He stopped confused about what could be going on. His hairs felt like they were standing on end and he felt like he was covered in static.

"Luigi!" Daisy shrieked.

He had just enough time to catch her frightened expression before something fast and hard hit him. He gasped as the lightning coursed through his body. He kept expecting to feel some sort of pain, but it never came. Instead he was left feeling completely drained of energy and he collapsed on the ground.

"Oh my god! Luigi? Please be okay!" Daisy begged as she ran over to his side.

"I'm…fine." He reassured her trying to get up.

However, he couldn't even push himself up. He looked down at his hands surprised by what he was seeing. It was almost as if they still retained the aftershock of the lightning bolt since little jolts of electricity ran through them. That wasn't the weird part though. The energy was green, as green as his shirt even.

"Thank God! Okay, um, we better get you inside and then Dad can make sure you're okay." Daisy instructed already pulling him to his feet.

He tried to help her as best as he could, but for the most part she was dragging him up to the porch.

"Dad! Help!" Daisy hollered through the house after opening the door.

Luigi heard feet pounding against the stairs and looked up to see Daisy's father come into view.

"Hello Mr. Floral." Luigi waved weakly.

"Daisy? Luigi? What's going on? Why aren't you guys at school?" He asked concerned.

Daisy ignored most of the questions getting straight to the point. "Dad, we were in the yard and this lightning bolt came out of nowhere and hit Luigi!"

He looked surprised as he looked at Luigi. "Really? Um, okay just set him on the couch and I'll go get my stuff."

Daisy quickly did as she was told while her father disappeared from view again. As Luigi was laid down on the couch, he realized something. Daisy's father was never home when they were. Why wasn't he at the office? However, Daisy's hovering form quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He got his first good look at her and was surprised with her appearance. Her hair looked darker from the rain and was pressed against her head. Her hands were shaking as she clutched his arm indicating that she was anxious or scared about something. What really made his heart drop though was the fact that her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks stained with dried tears.

"Are you okay Daisy?" He asked concerned.

She gave a small laugh and her shaking subsided somewhat. "You were just hit by lightning and you're worried about me?"

He gave a small chuckle too. "Yeah, I guess it does seem a little out of place, but it's what I came over to do. You didn't seem okay when you left that parking lot and you certainly don't now since I can see you've been crying."

Her eyes started to well up. "Oh Luigi, I-"

"Okay I'm here. Now, does anything hurt or feel out of place?" Mr. Floral asked Luigi as he took Daisy's place.

He instantly started taking Luigi's blood pressure while waiting on an answer.

"Well, not really. I just feel really weak." Luigi confessed not being able to stop himself from looking at his hands.

However, there was not even a trace of a spark. Mr. Floral quickly moved on to checking his heartbeat, having Luigi take deep breaths when asked. Finally, he took his temperature.

"Well, I'm happy to say that everything looks completely normal. You're going to be just fine." He told Luigi.

Daisy let out a sigh of relief, and even Luigi himself felt better knowing that there was nothing wrong with him.

"It's actually quite remarkable. I've never heard of anyone getting struck that way and still retain all their body functions." Mr. Floral marveled.

"Thanks Dad." Daisy told him giving him a hug.

"You're welcome, although I still didn't get an answer as to why you two aren't at school." He brought up raising an eyebrow.

Daisy sighed sadly and Luigi could see that she was really bothered by having to tell him what happened. Before she could say anything, he came in with the save.

"It's my fault, sir. I wasn't feeling too well and Daisy was giving me a ride home. Then we decided that it was close enough to lunch time for us just to come here first." Luigi explained sitting up to look the man in the eye.

He smiled relieved and Daisy looked at him curiously.

"Alright, I'll buy that. In fact, you guys can sit tight. I'll get started on lunch for the three of us." He told them before leaving for the other room.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that though." Daisy told him coming over to sit next to him.

"I feel bad though. I mean it's all my fault." Luigi confessed folding his hands in front of him.

She reached out and took one of them. "Luigi, there is nothing about today that I could possibly blame you for."

He looked up to see the hard determination in her eyes. He could tell that she truly believed that.

"I'm glad you feel that way." He told her.

She gave him a small smile and before he knew it they were inches apart. He was just getting ready to lean in and kiss her when they heard a loud pop followed by the sound of rushing water. They jumped up in surprise as Mr. Floral came running in from the other room.

"Did you two hear that too?" He asked.

They nodded their heads as they ran towards the room they thought the noise originated from: the basement. Mr. Floral tried the light switch only to find it didn't work. He ran into the other room and came back with a flashlight. He turned it on and swore when they saw that the room had flooded. Already the water was at least knee level.

"Damn it, now I'm going to have to call someone to fix this." He growled angrily.

Luigi, however, had picked up a thing or two from his father. He was sure he could find the problem.

"Let me take a look, Mr. Floral." He insisted taking the flashlight.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

Instead of answering him though, Luigi waded his way down the steps trying to see if he could locate the problem. Already the water had risen to just under his hips. Half-swimming and half-walking he found the pipe system on the other side of the room.

"Do you see anything?" Mr. Floral hollered from the top of the stairs.

In that exact moment Luigi had located the problem.

"Yeah, your drain pipe burst and is pushing all of the water into here. I think if you can get me a wrench, a snake, and some duct tape I can do a quick patch job and get rid of most of this water."

"You've got it." Mr. Floral laughed before disappearing again.

Realizing there was nothing more he could do at the moment Luigi made his way back to the stairs. He could see Daisy smiling from the closest stair to the water, hugging her knees into her chest. He smiled as he neared her. He was right where the drain ought to be when he stepped on something soft. He was so unprepared for it that he jumped slightly.

"Are you okay?" She laughed.

"Yeah, I think so." He told her still a little shaken.

"Well come on Handy Man. You must be freezing." She told him standing up holding the towel beside her.

He was about to say something when he realized that his leg wasn't moving. He pulled against the squishy suction material desperately trying to figure out what it was. He yelped when it travelled farther up his leg and yanked down hard. Before he could do anything else he was pulled under the water and his head banged against the concrete floor. He didn't even catch a glimpse of his captor before he sank into unconsciousness.

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**Looks like Luigi already has his work cut out for him. Lightning, floods, strange objects from the drain, what next? :) Thanks everybody for reading and I'm really going to work at getting the next chapter done quickly. I know how bad cliffhangers suck. Don't forget to review please!**


	9. Chapter 9 The Water

**Okay, so in case none of you guys have checked out my profile...I have a little bit of bad news. I broke my hand last week. :( So my updates are going to be a lot slower, at least for the next five weeks. In fact, I was actually pretty happy that I had this chapter almost finished. I couldn't just leave you guys wondering what was going to happen to Luigi! So without taking up any more of your time, here's the new chapter!**

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**Chapter 9- The Water **

Daisy watched Luigi make his way down into the dark, wet basement in awe. She was so glad that he was okay. It had really scared her when the lightning hit him. She wouldn't know what she would have done if she had lost Luigi today too. She really didn't deserve Luigi. He had been so sweet to her and so understanding, it made her feel guilty.

While Luigi was checking out the pipes on the opposite side, Daisy realized that he would need a towel for when he got out. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and grabbed the first one she found. When she came back she saw her father hurrying away to the supply closet. She figured Luigi must have found the problem. She ran down the stairs and stopped when she felt the ice cold water. She couldn't help but marvel at Luigi's strength. Everyone always considered him the weaker of the two, but she couldn't imagine herself getting struck by lightning and still being able to go down in the freezing water.

She sat on the next step up waiting for him to come back. She could see the flashlight bouncing back and forth, but she didn't see his face until he was halfway across the room. He smiled when he saw her which caused her to smile. Then almost out of nowhere, he jumped causing the water to splash around him.

She laughed figuring he stepped on a pile of junk that he wasn't prepared for.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think so." He told her.

However, she could tell from the way he was looking around that he was still a little unnerved by what he touched.

"Well come on Handy Man. You must be freezing."

She stood up holding up the towel for him waiting for him to cross those last few steps towards her. He took another step when he was suddenly slipping under the black surface of the water. She tried to hold in a giggle figuring he just tripped and fell.

"Luigi, you klutz, quit messing around." She called into the dark room still smiling.

However, that smile began to slip when she didn't see his head come back up. She listened for any noise of him resurfacing and didn't hear anything. The surface remained calm and silent almost as if it were hiding the fact that it stole her boyfriend from her.

"Luigi? This isn't funny." She panicked hoping that he was messing with her.

She waited for about half a second more before diving in after him. At first she couldn't see a thing. She was counting more on her sense of touch than anything else. She came back up for air when she heard something else surface. Thinking it was Luigi she swam over to the sound. However, what she saw didn't fill her with much confidence. It was only the green hat Luigi was wearing earlier. She had never seen it on him before, but she thought that it had completed him in some way. Therefore, seeing the hat without its owner scared her even more. She filled her lungs and prepared for her second trip below the surface clutching the hat tightly in her hand.

She knew he had been near the drain and thought she would start her search there. As she neared the hole something strange began to happen. It was glowing, allowing her to see everything that was happening. Stranger still, it had grown considerably in width and was now more like a smooth, green pipe sticking out of the floor. However, this all was irrelevant as she finally found who she was looking for. She managed to just catch Luigi's unconscious face before he was pulled into the strange pipe.

"_Daisy, just promise me one thing. When the time comes, no matter how heartbreaking, you'll just let events unfold. Don't try to stop it, okay?"_

Daisy was surprised when her mother's words suddenly rushed through her head. However, she didn't even stop to consider them. Luigi needed her help, and she would not stand by watching him disappear from her life. No matter how selfish it was, he was one of the last good things about her life and she would not lose him if she could help it. Without another moment's hesitation, she swam forward to the pipe and dove after her boyfriend.

If there was one word she could use to describe the trip down the pipe, it would be disorienting. She picked up speed and didn't even need to swim anymore. In fact, she took a breath forgetting where she was only to be surprised to be breathing air. She felt like she was on a giant slide with tons of twists, turns, and loops. She would have enjoyed it if she wasn't so worried about Luigi who was somewhere at the end of this crazy ride. Finally, a light began to glow and she realized she was fixing to come out on the other side. Involuntarily, she took a deep breath like she was coming out on the end of a water ride. This seemed to be the right reaction as she was plunged back into liquid.

It was warmer than the water in her basement, but still dark. She propelled herself forward hoping to find Luigi not too far away. Her lungs felt like they were going to burst, but then she realized that Luigi couldn't have taken a single breath this whole time and pushed herself farther. Her determination was rewarded when she felt flesh pass through her fingers. It was a hand and she grabbed onto it hoping it was Luigi's hand. Finally, she pushed herself to the surface.

She had only gone a few feet when she was met with resistance. She started pulling harder on the arm. However, there was something on the other end that was not relenting. She was desperate as little black spots began to dance in her vision from her lack of oxygen. She was unsure of what to do, but decided she couldn't help Luigi if she drowned.

Hesitantly, she let go of his hand and pushed towards the surface. She was surprised when it didn't take her any longer than a couple of seconds. Greedily, she took in a large amount of air. She almost started choking on it, but once she was sure her lungs worked again she dove under the surface once more. It didn't take her long to find Luigi again, but instead of pulling on him like last time she dove deeper. If she could just find whatever was stopping her in the first place then she could swim them both to the surface.

She felt down along his body until she felt something slimy latched around his leg. She was surprised to see that it was a tentacle that had captured her boyfriend. She pulled against the suction cups that refused to release their prize. She tried everything. She pulled and punched and kicked, but the tentacle still didn't yield. She was on her last leg and was still no closer to getting Luigi free.

She swam back to where his face was and cuddled it in her hands. He seemed so peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping. She wasn't sure whether or not he was even alive at this point. After all, he had been under the water for much longer than she had. She pressed her head to his almost as if enough of her could seep into him and bring him back.

Praying that it wouldn't be their last, Daisy kissed Luigi blowing the last bit of oxygen from her lungs into his. She realized that this couldn't possibly help, but she needed to feel like she was doing something. She could feel herself pulling closer to the surface when Luigi's eyes opened.

"Daisy?" He asked as simply as if they were on land.

She didn't know which emotion hit her first: confusion, relief, concern, exhilaration, amazement. They were all there as Luigi came back around. She hugged him, forgetting for the moment that they were both still underwater without a breath to spare. His eyes widened considerably as he seemed to realize their situation. She pointed upward motioning that they needed to get to the surface. He nodded his understanding and she led the way. It wasn't until she broke from the water's clutches once again that she remembered Luigi's restraint on the other end. She gasped and dove back below.

She saw that he was figuring out that he was held captive as she could see him pulling against the tentacle. With renewed strength she went back to fight the same battle as before. However, with Luigi helping they actually seemed to be getting somewhere this time.

"Watch out!" Luigi cried pushing her out of the way.

She looked back down surprised to see a second tentacle snaking towards where she once was. Now they had a good look at Luigi's captor. A large white squid with a black mask like a raccoon made its way into view. Daisy was so surprised by the strange creature that she gasped. Instantly water poured into her lungs. She would have started coughing if she didn't get a hold of herself in time. Regardless, she needed air. Immediately.

Luigi looked at her alarmed before setting his jaw in determination. He swam forward to meet the squid thing and kicked his feet out to hit it between the eyes. It instantly recoiled and released Luigi from its grip. Satisfied that he was free, Daisy began kicking towards the surface. However, the constant swimming back and forth had taken its toll on her. Not to mention the fact that she was already half-drowned. Her vision was dimming faster and she wasn't even sure she was swimming upward anymore.

She felt Luigi's hands grab onto her arm and her middle. Before she knew it they were jetting to the surface. It took her a few seconds to register that she was breathing again. After that she was violently discharging the water already in her system, and finally she was able to make out shapes and colors once more.

"Daisy? Are you okay?" Luigi asked from beside her.

She was starting to get really tired of that question.

"What the hell is going on?" She finally gasped deciding to ignore his question.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to say we aren't in your basement anymore." He told her looking around.

She also took her first look at their surroundings and was surprised by the sight. It was definitely not her basement as she was staring out at an endless sea of water in all directions. Directly above them were bridges of floating rocks, just suspended in midair. There would be a few gaps between them, but for the most part it was pretty continuous. Above that was hundreds of twinkling stars. Having lived in New York most of her life, stars were a pretty rare sight. Therefore, it wasn't anything short of breathtaking.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." She whispered.

Luigi snorted, obviously not expecting her to joke around about the situation so soon. She finally noticed that they weren't in the water anymore, but were floating on a small wooden raft.

"Yeah, well I hope we don't have to run into the wicked witch any time soon." He finally replied back.

"Wasn't that the thing that tried to eat you back there?" She teased back.

He frowned however. "So you saw it too? I wasn't just imagining it?"

"Yeah and speaking of imagining things. How didn't you drown and I almost did?"

Now that Daisy wasn't worried about Luigi dying, she couldn't help but question how he was alive. He was underwater far longer than she was. And he was talking to her down there as clearly as he was now. It just didn't make any sense.

"I-I don't know." He stuttered, obviously just as confused as she was. "The last thing I remember is getting knocked out on your basement floor. Then there you are, and it took me several seconds to even register that I was underwater. But I was breathing normally, and the squid thing, I'm not dreaming am I?"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "No, I wouldn't be here if you were dreaming, dummy."

"But this can't really be happening." He persisted getting more frustrated by the second.

Daisy had to admit that the series of events that let them here were far-fetched to say the least. However, she seemed more inclined to accept it than what Luigi did. After nearly drowning, she was having a hard time believing that this was one big dream. Besides, this could be fun. Someplace new and exciting, it was like an adventure unfolding before her very eyes.

"It could be. I mean nothing is impossible." Daisy shrugged.

Luigi stared at her as if she had been the one to hit her head instead of him.

"Daisy, there are pieces of land just floating above our heads. It is defying the laws of gravity. That is most definitely impossible."

"And yet there they are." She countered.

"Which is why we're dreaming." He concluded.

"Unless we're not, and they are actually there…floating."

He sighed frustrated running his fingers through his hair. In that moment Daisy remembered something. She held out her hand that still clutched his hat. He looked over at it uncertainly before a small smile plastered his face.

"It's been so long since I've worn it. I completely forgot I didn't have it on." He mused more to himself.

Daisy couldn't help but cock her head in curiosity.

"It's a nice hat. How come I haven't ever seen you wear it before?" She asked him.

He sighed before pulling his knees up to his chest. "It's a long story."

She looked around at the endless expanse of ocean. "I don't think we're going anywhere."

He gave her a sort of half-smile before that somber look overtook him again.

"It's something I probably should have told you a long time ago. I-It's just hard, even now. I mean I still haven't been able to say his name." He started rambling, lost in his own thoughts.

"Lou, I can't understand what's going on if you're only going to give me these vague references." She supplied worried about what had him so upset.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, here it goes. I had a brother once. And the last time I wore this hat was the last time I saw him."

Daisy was dumbfounded. She had no idea. In fact, she had been in his house hundreds of times and never once saw any evidence of a brother. She quickly realized that this had to be some sort of big family secret that no one was allowed to talk about. She felt sympathetic, but she also felt a small amount of comfort in the fact no matter how selfish that was. He understood what it was like to suddenly have a family member leave you.

"We were twins and he was like my other half. Strong, athletic, courageous. He always knew how to pick me up when I was down."

"So what happened?" Daisy encouraged softly.

She could see that he was struggling with his emotions and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He put his other hand over it and squeezed it.

"He vanished." He finished ominously. "He was just gone. No one could ever find anything, and I don't remember if it was weeks or months later that my parents started taking down his things. It was too painful for them to be reminded of him. So the sports trophies came first, then his bedroom was redecorated, and finally the pictures were put away. Most of them were the two of us so it was hard to watch them pull down my own face off the wall. I know they didn't mean it like that, but I felt like maybe they had even come to resent seeing me. Because I'm the only reminder left of him."

Daisy hugged Luigi not sure of what else she could do. I was a very heartbreaking tale, and it scared her a little. She started worrying that her father would resent her because of how much she looked like her mother. However, she quickly threw that thought away. Her father loved her and she knew that Luigi's parents loved him just as much.

"You're too hard on yourself. I've seen firsthand how much you're parents love you." She assured him.

He gave an emotionless chuckle. "I know they love me. In fact, my mom told me that before I left. I just…"

She heard him trail off and looked up worried. His face seemed to drain as desperation overtook him.

"My mother! I promised her I would be right back! And on _The Day_. What if they're already searching for us?" Luigi began to panic.

In fact, he was starting to rock the raft with all of his rapid movements.

"Luigi! Calm down. This isn't your fault, and first thing tomorrow we'll find a way to contact your parents and tell them what happened." She tried to soothe him.

"How? We're in the middle of nowhere?" He cried exasperated.

She grabbed his face with both hands forcing him to look into her eyes. Instantly, his features seemed to relax and a small blush crept onto his cheeks. She smirked. She never got tired of making his cheeks flame that red hue.

"Look. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off isn't going to help. Besides, it'll all be okay. I mean, we still have each other right?" She reminded.

He finally smiled nodding in agreement. She let go of his face and moved her hands to the back of his neck running her fingers through the small tufts of hair escaping from his cap. He leaned forward letting their lips meet softly. After all of the events of the day though, she couldn't stop herself from taking it a step further. Pretty soon her tongue was slipping through his defenses and he made no attempt to stop her. In fact, he seemed encouraged and Daisy almost gasped as his demeanor turned more forceful. Her hands moved down from his head to his arms, down to his chest and abs. He also seemed to be wanting to explore her upper body too, and she didn't stop him.

She opened her eyes to see that he had somehow pinned her back against the raft. He was panting softly which only excited her more. But then a small afterthought crept up on her. They were getting awfully close to the point of no return, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. She could see in his eyes that he was connecting the dots as well, and he quickly rolled over off of her. She tried not to feel disappointed since this was obviously not the time or place for that sort of activity. He lay back on the raft looking up at the stars, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly.

She rolled her eyes before scooting closer and laying her head on his shoulder staring up with him. He wrapped his arm around her cuddling her closer.

"It's not like I didn't want it too." She admitted.

He blushed heavily. "I-It's not the right time. I mean, I was going to wait until…you know."

Daisy turned to him looking him dead in the eye. "So ask me to marry you." She stated seriously.

He looked startled but a little hopeful. "Really? I-I mean, that's what you want?"

She shrugged. "I don't know about right now, but if you're worried that I wouldn't want to, you're wrong. We've been together for two years and I know there's no one else I want to be with."

She could tell that she had lifted his spirits considerably. He kissed her on the forehead before leaning back against the raft. They laid together in silence before his breathing became regulated and a light snore filled the air. She giggled softly before allowing her own eyes to close. It had been a long, trying day and she had no idea what to expect tomorrow. However, she did know that she could face any obstacle as long as Luigi was with her.

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**I felt like with everything Daisy and Luigi had to deal with that day, they needed a little moment to themselves. So yeah, we're in Mario World now. It's only the beginning of Luigi and Daisy's adventures. I also noticed that this was one of my longest chapters yet. Thanks to everybody for reading and I'll get started on the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10 The New World

**Hey everybody, guess who's back! Yep, the cast finally came off and I'm back to writing. So to celebrate, here's a new chapter! Thanks to everyone for being so patient and I hope you like it.**

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**Chapter 10- The New World **

The first thing Luigi thought after he started becoming conscious was what a strange dream. It had started out frightening and dangerous, but the ending was the greatest part about it. He wished that Daisy really had asked him to marry her as he slowly started to blink his eyes open.

He quickly noticed how bright it was which was strange since he usually drew the blinds at night in his room. He shrugged it off figuring he had forgotten until he realized he was staring at blue sky. He blinked in confusion. Then a cloud passed through his vision which would have been strange enough if it wasn't for the fact that it was staring at him with large beady black eyes.

He sat up straight in a panic. He looked around seeing the same large expanse of water as he had in his dream. He shook his head in denial. It couldn't have been real.

"Good morning Sleepy Head. I was wondering when you were going to wake up." A sweet voice sounded from beside him.

He turned his head seeing the angel of his dreams sitting cheerfully beside him. Her hair and clothes were slightly ruffled from sleep, but he could have cared less. To him, she would always be the most beautiful thing even at her worst moments.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" He inquired finally piecing together that he really had been attacked by a giant squid last night.

She rolled her eyes. "Are you still going on about that? Luigi, I'm going to say this really slow so you'll get it. You. Aren't. Dreaming."

She smiled before standing up. He tried to make a move to stop her afraid that she would end up capsizing them. Surprisingly enough, the raft only rocked slightly with the weight change. She offered him a hand and he took it realizing how taxing last night was when his muscles screamed in protest.

"You okay?" She asked when he winced stretching his shoulders.

"Yeah, just a little sore." He admitted.

She looked apologetic. "Sorry, you made a pretty soft pillow."

He laughed feeling slightly embarrassed that he was complaining when he actually enjoyed snuggling with her. Even if he didn't think it was really happening.

"So," She started, breaking the awkward silence. "I've been trying to figure out the best way out of this situation and I think getting up onto that ledge is the way to go."

He followed her finger to the floating bridge above their head. He calculated it to be at least a ten foot jump. Even if he was at the peak of athleticism, he wouldn't be able to even touch it.

"I think I'll just stick to the raft." He decided not in the mood to challenge the impossible.

Daisy looked disappointed. "Come on Luigi. We can't stay here all day, and there's probably a better vantage point up there. I mean, eventually we'll have to find land." She argued.

"Daisy, you're a basketball player and I doubt even you could reach that." He pointed out.

After catching that glint in her eye he quickly realized his mistake. He groaned realizing this wasn't going to end well.

"Was that a challenge?" She asked eagerly.

"No." He stated firmly. "What if you miss and then don't land back on the raft? Or the raft cracks and we have to swim the rest of the way?"

Daisy smiled. "Don't worry so much, Sweetie. Besides I think I've figured out the pattern."

"Pattern? Does this look like some sort of video game?" Luigi teased.

She shot him a look. "Ha ha. No, but seriously look at this. Every few yards there's a little block that sits a few feet shorter."

He followed her gaze and saw what she was talking about. There was indeed a small little piece of land that sunk just a little below the rest of the bridge. The only problem was it was far too small to hold both of them, possibly not even one of them. And besides the fact that it was lower, it was still too high to reach. It was like it was teasing them into trying.

"I think there's still got to be a more…attainable way out of here." Luigi judged.

"Like what?" Daisy sighed, slightly annoyed.

"Well how did we get here in the first place?" He asked not remembering a whole lot about the travel.

She grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I doubt that's going to work."

"Why not? We didn't fall out of the sky did we?" He asked curious.

"No, but we went through a pipe that came out under the water." She admitted.

Luigi looked skeptical. "We were sucked through a pipe?"

She nodded. "Ironic isn't it Handy Man?" She teased.

He tried to suppress a giggle not wanting to encourage her. "Okay, so why don't we take turns trying to find this pipe?" He asked.

"Because there is no guarantee that we're even in the same spot as before. This raft has been free floating all night."

He was beginning to realize that she really had thought this all through. He sighed, not wanting to consider trying Daisy's plan. She suddenly gasped.

"Look Luigi! Fish!" She cried excitedly pointing to the water around them.

He peered along with her surprised to see that there were indeed small red and yellow fish swimming around them. One of them suddenly jumped high in the air and Daisy cried out in shock before she began laughing again.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen anything like them." She admitted.

Luigi was thinking that too, but rather than having the childish fascination that Daisy had he felt slightly uneasy around them.

"Don't get too close Daisy. We don't know what those things can do." He cautioned his girlfriend while pulling her away from the edge of the boat.

She laughed at his overprotective tendencies. "Relax Luigi, what can these little guys do?"

At that exact moment one of the fish launched itself over the raft slapping Luigi in the back of his head with its fin.

"Ouch!" Luigi cried rubbing the sore region.

Daisy looked like she was trying her hardest not to laugh which just made Luigi's mood that much worse.

"Well besides that, I'm sure they're harmless." She assured her rapidly becoming grumpy boyfriend.

Just then another one popped up, but it hit Luigi's shoulder. Another one appeared blowing a jet stream of water in his face. He was sure that Daisy would be laughing at him at this point until he heard her give a small yelp. One of them had tried to take a bite out of her ankles. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this, and Daisy finally had adopted the same attitude. They stood as close to the middle as they could turning back to back to see all of the attacks coming their way.

"Um, Luigi?" Daisy asked uncertainly.

"Yeah." He grunted kicking another fish that had tried to take a bite out of him.

"I think you might want to see this." She urged.

He groaned knowing that anything that had Daisy riled up couldn't be good. He slowly turned around and jumped in shock. It was another fish like the ones around them, only this one was roughly the size of a whale.

"You've got to be kidding me." He complained.

"I think now would be a good time to try out my plan." She instructed already turning her eyes to the floating piece of land above them.

"But…" He started failing to come up with a legitimate excuse.

"It's either jump or get eaten by Moby Dick." She pointed out already getting ready for the next small block they saw.

"So on three then?" Luigi reluctantly agreed.

"Fine! Three!" She yelled seeing their chance.

Luigi closed his eyes and jumped bracing himself for the ice cold water that he was sure he would hit. However, the feeling of solid ground jolted him back to the present. He opened his eyes surprised to see that he actually made it onto the land bridge without using the little block. He couldn't help but marvel in his accomplishment. There was no way he should have been able to jump that high.

"What do you know Daisy, we did it!" He cheered.

However, in the silence that followed he made a startling discovery. Daisy was not up there with him. He quickly ran to the other end in time to see the raft that they had previously been standing on being torn to shreds by the monster fish.

"Daisy?" Luigi yelled in a panic.

She couldn't have been eaten, he refused to believe it. He backtracked to where he started hoping that she would be there somewhere.

"Luigi! Help!" He heard her faint shouting.

Feeling slightly relieved he sprinted back to the edge he had started and peered over the side. Daisy had made it to the small block that was their initial goal, but she was dangling off the side.

"Hold on Daisy!" He told her while he tried to rack his brain for a way to get her up.

She was too far for him to reach down, and if he jumped he would land right on her hands. Watching her slip another inch caused him to decide.

"Daisy, let go when I tell you to." He instructed.

"What?" She cried incredulously.

"Just trust me." He begged.

He didn't wait for a confirmation before jumping down where she was at.

"Now!"

She hesitated before releasing the block. He was hoping for that as he landed and grabbed her wrists before she fell any farther. She sighed in relief as Luigi hoisted her back up to his level. However, now there was the small problem of not having enough room for the both of them.

"Maybe if you wrap your hands around my neck, I can pick you up and jump back up there." Luigi decided blushing hard.

Daisy gave him a smirk before complying with his request. Once she had a strong hold he moved his hands into a position to lift her bridal style. She wasn't heavy at all, and Luigi couldn't stop his heart from racing at having his girlfriend this close. Trying not to think about the auburn beauty in his arms, he leapt up to the ledge he was just at. He ended up over-shooting it and his head knocked painfully against the underside of another floating block. He fell back on his butt, and Daisy laid spread across his lap.

"Well, I wouldn't call that a smooth landing." She groaned.

Luigi rubbed the spot where he had hit his head. "Yeah, I'll get to work on that."

She gave a small laugh before a red capped mushroom fell into her hands. They both jumped up surprised. Luigi looked up in time to see the block he had just hit change colors. He couldn't help but be astonished at what a strange place this was.

"Where did this come from?" Daisy asked analyzing it curiously.

"I think it popped out of that block I hit." Luigi answered uncertainly.

"Really? That's pretty cool." She commented excitedly.

Luigi had a few choice words for what he thought about it. 'Cool' was not one of them.

"So what are we supposed to do with it?" Luigi finally asked.

"Eat it?" Daisy suggested.

Luigi rolled his eyes. "It could be one of those poisonous mushrooms for all we know. Plus, it's got eyes! How could you even think of eating something that's staring at you?"

Daisy studied it for a second before shrugging. "In case you haven't noticed every inanimate object has eyes here."

Luigi looked back up at the clouds in the sky. He wasn't sure he liked the fact that he was always being watched.

"Besides, I don't know about you but I skipped breakfast the morning before and we left before we could get lunch. I've gone a full twenty-four hours without eating anything, and I'm starving." She complained.

"Wait!" Luigi exclaimed something dawning on him. "It was noon when we left the basement."

Daisy nodded slowly not sure where he was going with this.

"But it was dark when we arrived here. So there's got to be some sort of time difference between the two places." He concluded hopefully.

Maybe in Brooklyn they hadn't been gone very long. There was a chance that he hadn't broken his mother's heart.

Daisy looked like she was about to say something but stopped upon seeing his face.

"Great, that still doesn't change the fact that I'm hungry, and this is the only food I've seen in ages." She pointed out.

Luigi eyed it wearily. "I guess go for it then."

Her face broke out into a huge grin. She looked down to take a bite, but stopped herself. With a guilty look she turned it around to where the eyes were looking at him. He felt a wave of nausea roll over him and he quickly turned around as well. Putting eyes on food, this world was torturous.

He heard Daisy gasp and quickly spun around to see her looking around frantically.

"Where did it go?" She asked him.

"You lost it?" He questioned surprised.

"No, I mean I don't think so. I took a bite and then it just vanished!" She cried still searching the area.

Luigi found himself looking around as well before Daisy suddenly clutched her stomach.

"I feel funny." She admitted.

Luigi went pale. It was poison and he just let his girlfriend eat it like it was candy. He rushed over unsure of what he could do before she began to grow. And it wasn't just a few inches either. She was quickly doubling in height. He tried backing up, but only ended up falling on his butt staring up at his monster girlfriend.

"I really hate this world." He whined softly wondering what else lay in store for the two of them.

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**So how did I do? Don't forget to review and I got so excited about writing again, I'm almost done with the next chapter. I should have it up in a few days.**


	11. Chapter 11 The Giant

**Woohoo! An update! Okay, so I know that I said I would have this up like a month ago, but there's actually a good reason for that. One, I was graduating. :) Hooray for me! Two, I had it all done, and then didn't like how it was going. So I edited and re-edited and even though I'm still not completely satisfied, I think it's good enough to post. So enjoy and sorry about the wait. I'll admit that I do have the next chapter almost done, but I won't make another promise in case I can't follow through.**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

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**Chapter 11- The Giant**

Daisy was unsure about what was happening to her until she looked down seeing her visibly frightened boyfriend shrinking before her. She was about to reach out hoping to help him before she figured out that he wasn't shrinking, she was growing. A fact that became apparent when she was nearly eye level with the block Luigi had hit earlier. However, rather than panic, she felt excited. She turned to look at herself and figured she had to be a least ten feet tall, maybe taller. She couldn't help but think how amazing it would be to play basketball like this. They would have to raise the goal for her, and even then she could dunk it.

She giggled softly to herself before she started to question it. How in the world did she suddenly grow this big? That's when she realized it had to have been the mushroom. She couldn't get the look of awe off her face as she turned back to Luigi.

"Luigi, this is amazing! That mushroom was like the 'Eat Me' cakes in Alice in Wonderland." She marveled.

She never really put much stock into Alice since the idea of falling down a rabbit hole was completely absurd. She decided in retrospect, a drainpipe really wasn't any better.

"So then where's the 'Drink Me' bottle?" He asked nervously.

She rolled her eyes before laughing at him. "Luigi, are you scared of me?"

He stood back up slowly shaking his head. However, she could see from the blush on his face that he was. She laughed again making his cheeks flame harder. It was always so much fun messing with him.

"So I guess you got the better vantage point you were wanting." He pointed out.

Daisy blinked surprised realizing that he was right. She should be able to see for miles. She looked off towards the end of the platform. To her delight, there was a land mass not too far away. She squinted a little, certain that she was seeing towers rising in the distance as well.

"Land Ho!" She hollered pointing excitedly.

Luigi turned around eagerly. "Really?" He asked as he tried to see what she was seeing.

"Yeah, let's go!" She cheered before running off in the direction she pointed out.

She found that the gaps between the bridges weren't nearly as nerve-wracking in her new size. She didn't admit it to Luigi, but she had actually been afraid when they jumped to escape the fish. Even though she wanted to believe it would work, she had doubted their ability to get up there safely. Which obviously she had been right since she didn't make it. If it wasn't for Luigi she would have been fish food.

That got her to thinking about his miraculous jump. She was completely jealous that he had sailed up to the top ledge so effortlessly. After all, she was the athletic one. How was he able to jump higher than her?

"Daisy, wait up!" Luigi hollered from behind.

She finally stopped turning to look at him several yards back. She felt a little guilty not intending to leave him in the dust. She should have realized that with her new height, she would be able to cover distance faster than him. However, it wasn't until she watched him that she realized her size wasn't the only problem.

"You don't have to stop and judge every gap." She pointed out.

She saw his cheeks flair up embarrassed, but it didn't stop him from forming a complete stop at the next opening, evaluating the distance to the other side, and then jump. All he ended up doing was jumping higher than necessary instead of jumping farther. She could feel herself wince a little as he barely reached the edge.

"Sorry we're not all giant." He panted finally reaching her.

"You don't have to be." She argued. "You can obviously make the jump. Keep going and let your momentum carry you across."

He screwed up his face. "I'm fine, thank you."

She sighed before starting her walk again. Although this time she was much slower so she wasn't waiting on Luigi to catch up. She knew that he had a cautious nature, but this seemed a little overboard even to her. She couldn't help but think back on earlier when his eyes lit up considering that they hadn't been missing for that long. She didn't have the heart to confess what she thought. She figured it was the ride through the pipe that sucked away the time. Of course, he could be right since she was just guessing.

"How far away did you say it was?" Luigi asked coming up right beside her.

"It's not that far now. Probably another twenty minutes." She pointed into the distance.

Luigi squinted trying to see what she was seeing and nodded when he was satisfied with her assessment. They started walking in silence again until Daisy got to wondering about something.

"Hey Luigi, do you think we're the only ones here?" She asked innocently.

"What do you mean?" He asked while preparing for another jump.

"Well besides the fish and the squid, we really haven't seen anything else. And we definitely haven't seen any people." She pointed out.

He stopped realization dawning on him. "You're right. This whole world could be completely devoid of civilization. How are we going to get home now? What are we going to do for food and shelter? I dropped out of boy scouts after the first week!"

"Luigi, Sweetie, calm down!" Daisy tried to soothe. "I didn't mean to freak you out, I was just thinking out loud."

"Well yeah, but you've brought up some very good points. I hadn't even considered the possibility of us dying here." He panicked.

"We won't die. Besides I can definitely see towers, so there has to be some sort of civilization." She pointed out.

"Really?" He asked hopefully.

She nodded. She let out a small giggle as he released a sigh of relief. She loved Luigi to death, but he had a tendency to over think things. Luckily, they had finally reached the edge of the bridge and she gleefully ran to the end and jumped down onto solid land.

"See I told you we would do it!" She cheered turning around to see Luigi's reaction. He seemed just as happy until his eyes started to bug out.

"D-Daisy. B-behind you." He pointed out.

She looked confused and involuntarily took a step backwards. She felt something bump up against her ankle and jumped in surprise. However, when she came back down, she fell all the way down to the ground.

"Hey watch where you're going!"

Daisy looked around her surprised to see a little two-foot tall brown mushroom thing that walked on two feet and had eyes and a mouth. She gasped in surprise as the thing started to walk away grumbling to itself.

"Daisy, are you okay?" Luigi asked running up to her side.

He offered her a hand up and she took it automatically before something dawned on her.

"Hey! I'm your size again!" She cried disappointedly.

Luigi laughed. "Yeah it happened after that…thing hit you. What was that anyways?" He asked confused looking off in the direction it left.

"I don't know, but it could have been nicer." She grumbled.

Luigi, however, was still looking off in the direction it left.

"You don't think that those are the civilized species of this world, do you?" Luigi asked worriedly.

Daisy thought about it for a minute. "I suppose it could be. I mean, it was a walking, talking mushroom."

Daisy could see that Luigi was getting more unnerved about the creature. She started rubbing his arm soothingly.

"Luigi, breathe. It'll be okay. It's not going to hurt anything." She tried to calm him down, but she could see he was only getting worked up more.

"Are you even listening to yourself? How in the world can you be so calm about something that shouldn't walk or talk but is doing it anyways?"

Daisy was about to respond before she stopped and thought about it. Luigi did have every right to be questioning something like this. Why wasn't she as bothered by it? For whatever reason, everything they had seen seemed so familiar to her. Almost like she read about it in a book or something similar.

"I'm just a lot more accepting of the impossible than you." She finally shrugged.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Really? You're not even a little troubled by anything we've seen?"

"Nope." Daisy shook her head. "Hell, a witch could fly by on a broomstick and I'd be okay with it."

She heard Luigi snort, but she was too busy deciding where to go next. Now that she was no longer giant-size, everything was looking different. At most she figured they were on some sort of beach from all of the sand piled around them, but it seemed to be stretching endlessly before them. Finally, she decided on the direction they should take.

"Come on, let's go this way." She called over her shoulder.

Luigi didn't argue even if he was still hesitant. Daisy soon found that this wasn't just a beach though. There were endless sand dunes, the sun seemed to be growing hotter, and every once in awhile she would pass a pyramid. They were definitely in a desert.

"A desert…next to an ocean? This world…doesn't make any sense!" Luigi panted after several long minutes of walking.

"I thought there are some deserts next to an ocean or a sea or something." Daisy commented as she tested the sand in front of her.

They had found out not too far back that there were patches of quicksand in this desert when Luigi walked straight into one. Luckily with his incredible jumping ability he was able to get himself out of it.

"Yeah but that's all saltwater. The water we just left was freshwater." He argued.

"How do you know that?" Daisy asked while she continued to lead.

"Because I…I was…breathing it. I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Daisy turned around to see that he was really bothered by the other night.

"Luigi." She started but stopped when she saw what was behind him.

She gasped at the smiling cactus-like creature that was creeping up on him.

"Okay Luigi, don't freak or anything, but you're being followed." She calmly explained.

He froze before turning out slowly. He jumped and ran over beside her.

"W-What is that? And why is it so creepy looking?"

Daisy tried to keep herself from laughing. He was right though. It did have a sort of psychotic smile.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing we don't want to touch those spikes." She pointed out.

Luigi agreed and soon they were running across the desert again. However, they soon found out that this place was full of the cactus creatures. Daisy wasn't too worried by them though since they moved so slow. It was just a pain in the butt getting around them.

"Did we lose that one?" Daisy asked Luigi after their fifth encounter.

Luigi turned around, but instantly turned back his face looking ashen.

"What? Do we have a cactus army back there?" She teased.

"Do you remember you're witch comment from earlier?" He asked nervously.

"What about how it wouldn't surprise me?" Daisy clarified confused as to why he would bring it up.

"Yeah, s-so even if it's a UFO, you still wouldn't be affected?"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "The metaphor wasn't important, my point was just…"

What he was saying suddenly hit her. She looked behind them and saw it. There was an actual alien spaceship hovering in the air behind them.

"Run faster!" She yelled before turning on the jets.

Luigi didn't even argue with her as they sprinted across the desert. However, no matter how fast they went, it was still keeping up with them. Daisy had to admit that the UFO did have her a little unnerved. The spaceship was getting closer, and Daisy could see it was about to shoot some sort of strange laser out of the bottom of it. Daisy had just made another leap over a quicksand pit when she found the ground sailing below her. She turned around to see that the beam from the laser was pulling her up towards the ship. She desperately struggled to get free as Luigi started to become smaller and smaller.

"Daisy!" Luigi called up to her.

Before she could answer him, she was trapped within the flying metal contraption. She instantly dropped on the platinum floor painfully. However, that didn't stop her from jumping back up and pounding away at the walls and the floor. She couldn't be separated from Luigi now, he needed her. And deep down she knew that she needed him just as much. However, everything she did was in vain. Frustrated she sank to her knees. At that exact moment a holographic image appeared above her head. She looked up surprised and upset to see a purple alien leering at her.

"Struggling is pointless, Princess. Now that I have you Sarasaland shall be mine!" He sneered.

"Dude, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about so let me go, or you'll regret it!" Daisy screamed.

He laughed. "You don't scare me, Princess, and after our wedding tomorrow you'll never feel the need to threaten me again."

Daisy flinched in disgust. "Wedding? Like hell!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice."

Just like that the image disappeared leaving Daisy alone in the room once again. Her thoughts were swirling all over the place. Princess? Sarasaland? Wedding? She didn't understand anything that was going on. She finally sat down on the floor pulling her knees into her chest. She would give anything to have Luigi there with her. Her only wish at the moment was for him to find her as quickly as possible.

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**Dun, dun, dun... Yeah so I brought Tantanga into the picture. And for those of you who are wondering about our hero in red, he's going to make his dramatic entrance very soon. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. :)**


	12. Chapter 12 The Reunion

**Hey look I actually got a chapter up faster than a month! I actually loved writing this chapter, and I hope you guys like it too.**

**I don't own anything Mario.**

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**Chapter 12- The Reunion**

Luigi was running after the spaceship like his life depended on it. But it was more than that; Daisy's life depended on it. However, no matter how hard he ran, it kept getting farther and farther away. When Luigi could no longer even see a speck he slowed down to a jog before falling to his knees.

He failed. The spaceship was gone and Daisy was gone with it. He couldn't believe it. What kind of a boyfriend just stood there in the middle of the desert and let an alien spaceship take his girlfriend away? Luckily, he was too frustrated to even question how weird that thought was. Sighing he reached up and pulled his cap off. He stared at it remembering Daisy comforting him after he told her the story about _Him _that night on the raft. He wished he had her to comfort him right then. Feeling a sudden wave of anger, he chunked the hat across the desert.

He fell back onto his bottom and pulled his knees into his chest staring down at the sand in front of him. He was so scared and confused. He just wished someone would tell him what to do from here. Suddenly he heard the swish of movement through the sand. He looked up instantly only to stare up at one of those spiky cactus things. Luigi began to back away too petrified to actually get up and run. Suddenly, it exploded into individual balls across the desert.

"Ha! Take that you stupid Pokey!" A triumphant voice cheered.

Luigi was surprised not expecting anyone else to actually be out here with him. He looked up trying to get a good look at the person, but the sun glared brightly and he had to look away.

"Hey buddy, are you okay? Here let me help you up." The voice insisted after taking notice of Luigi.

Luigi blinked at the gloved hand outstretched towards him. He realized that this guy was actually human. Feeling slightly relieved, he grabbed onto the hand letting himself be pulled to his feet. Now that he wasn't staring up at the guy he got his first look at him, and he flinched away in shock.

The guy was about the same age as Luigi wearing a red shirt with blue overalls. He was a little pudgy around the middle, but made up for it with his muscular arms and chest. He carried a hammer next to him which is what Luigi assumed he attacked the cactus with. He had blue eyes that shined with an unspoken determination despite the bewilderment in them at the moment. An unkempt mustache adorned his upper lip, and Luigi didn't even need to look up to see the red cap with the 'M' to know who was standing in front of him.

Luigi had several possible scenarios to explain this. One, that strange cactus thing killed him. Two, he actually was stuck in an elaborate dream-induced coma and was still on Daisy's basement floor. Last, was that he was merely hallucinating due to the heat and stress of losing his girlfriend. He decided the last one was the more likely outcome mostly because he didn't want to explore the possibility of being dead or close to it.

"Um, is there something wrong?" The hallucination asked raising an eyebrow.

Now the problem was how to get rid of it. Should he play along or ignore it?

"Yeah, there's something wrong. I'm lost in a strange world that I have no idea what inhabits it, I just watched a UFO take my girlfriend away, and now due to the heat or the headache I'm imagining you." Luigi complained out loud.

The guy began to back away nervously from Luigi. Luigi was certain that he thought he was crazy. "Okay well have fun with that."

Luigi watched as he walked away wondering if figments of his imagination were supposed to be so aloof. However, the guy only got a few feet before he paused at something. Luigi followed his line of sight and saw that he was staring at Luigi's hat. He instantly turned back around staring at Luigi with a mixture of awe and hope.

"Luigi?" He asked.

Luigi nodded dumbfounded. This was starting to feel very real, and it scared him more than anything else in this world. Luigi suddenly found himself wrapped up in an arm crushing bear hug.

"I can't believe it! Luigi, my brother. What are you doing here? How did you get here? Look at how big you've gotten, are you taller than me?" He began firing off nonstop questions.

Luigi forcefully pushed him away. It couldn't be. Luigi refused to do this to himself.

"No, it can't be possible. You can't be _Him_." Luigi argued.

The guy rolled his eyes. "You know for most people seeing is believing, but only you couldn't even believe what is right before your eyes."

Before Luigi even realized what was happening, he was in a head lock with the other guy's knuckles playfully rubbing against his scalp.

"There! Is that real enough for ya?" He boasted.

"M-Mario?" Luigi whispered the name he had refused to even think for the last five years.

Mario nodded enthusiastically. "In the flesh."

Luigi stepped back uncertainly. "But how? Where have you been?"

Mario grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Long story, but we have plenty of time to talk back at the castle. I know Peach would love to meet you."

Luigi nodded still overwhelmed. It was really Mario. His brother that had been missing for years. He finally found him. Luigi began to follow Mario when he felt something nagging him in the back of his head. He stopped wondering what he could be forgetting when Mario handed him back his hat.

"Here you go, you might not want to lose this." He grinned.

Suddenly the events of the UFO came flooding back, and Luigi's sense of urgency increased as well.

"Daisy!" He cried.

Mario stopped and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Daisy! She was kidnapped by that spaceship! What do we do?" Luigi babbled desperation finding its way into his voice.

Mario frowned. "Where did it go?"

Luigi stopped fretting trying to calmly figure out what direction it took.

"That way, towards the pyramids." He pointed out.

"And this Daisy, she's important to you?" Mario asked.

Luigi nodded. "I love her." He admitted.

Mario smirked. "Don't worry bro, I'll bring her back."

Luigi jumped in surprise. "What? How?"

"I'm a hero in this world. There's nothing I can't do. You just keep going that way towards Peach's castle. Tell them Mario sent you and you should be okay." Mario instructed.

Luigi looked off to where he was pointing. "But don't you think I should…"

Luigi didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Mario was disappearing across the sand dunes. Luigi sighed. There was no doubt about it, that was his brother. He suddenly lit up. That was really his brother. The depth of the situation seemed to be finally sinking in and Luigi had to stop himself from chasing off after Mario. However, he was completely out of sight now, and Luigi wasn't sure if he would be able to help anyways. Instead, he decided to continue in the direction Mario told him.

Luigi stopped being surprised about everything he saw. It was too exhausting, and really he had already witnessed the most impossible event already. So when the desert instantly changed into a forest, he didn't question it. And when more of those brown mushroom things walked by with red and green turtles, he tried to ignore it. Even the eyes on the trees following his every move didn't freak him out too bad. However, he couldn't stop himself from gaping at the sight before him once the trees gave way.

A large pink castle stretched out before him complete with a moat and drawbridge. It looked like something straight out of a storybook. He was starting to get nervous about going in. That castle looked like something royalty lived in, and he couldn't see Mario being the King of this place. He didn't see any other castles though, so he nervously made his way towards the wondrous palace.

"Good afternoon Green Mario."

Luigi snapped out of his reverie to see another one of the world's odd creatures talking to him. This one was almost human, but he only reached Luigi's hip, had no nose, and had a mushroom cap on top of his head.

"Um, hi?" Luigi responded.

That seemed to do the trick since the little guy nodded going back to whatever he was doing. Luigi watched him realizing there were more just like him all over the place. In fact, there was an entire little village right in front of the castle.

"Hello Green Mario."

"How are you Green Mario?"

"Can I help you with something Green Mario?"

It suddenly dawned on Luigi that they thought his name was Green Mario.

"Um, it's Luigi actually, and I was sent by Mario to see a peach?" Luigi recited uncertainly.

They all stopped to gape at him.

"You know Super Mario?" One asked in awe.

Luigi mentally rolled his eyes at the super part, but he assumed they were talking about the same Mario.

"Um, yeah, he's my brother." He explained.

He jumped when they all collectively cheered.

"You're really related to Super Mario?"

"Is it true that he was sent from the Stars to protect Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Do you have the same powers as him?"

"You have to meet the Princess right away."

Luigi began feeling overwhelmed as hundreds of the little mushroom people gathered around him asking a hundred different questions at once. He didn't even understand half of what they were saying. However, when the one said something about a princess, they all began to tug on his arms bringing him towards the castle. Luigi tried to argue against it knowing that there was no way he ready to meet a princess. Despite all his protesting and struggling though, he found himself in front of the great doors to the palace.

"Now what's all this hullabaloo about?"

Luigi watched as a much older little creature walked out of the castle with a pompous attitude.

"Toadsworth, look at who we found! Green Mario says he's the brother of Super Mario!" One of the others addressed.

The one known as Toadsworth instantly stared up at Luigi like he was sizing him up.

"Is this true Green Mario?" He asked Luigi directly.

Luigi sighed. "First off, my name is Luigi. And yes, I think so anyways. If your Super Mario wears a red hat, a red shirt, and is about this tall, then that's my brother."

Toadsworth nodded indicating that it was the same person.

"Very well, the Princess will have an audience with you at once."

All of the other little mushroom-capped people cheered. However, Luigi began to get really nervous.

"I-I don't know. I mean, my brother said I was just supposed to find this peach. I don't know if I can meet a princess."

Everyone began to laugh. Luigi blushed embarrassed uncertain about what he said to invoke this reaction. Toadsworth began shaking his head in amusement.

"Master Luigi, are you aware that our Princess is the Princess Peach Toadstool of the entire Mushroom Kingdom?" Toadsworth asked.

"I guess not?" Luigi answered not recognizing anything in that question.

Toadsworth sighed. "I suppose to some ignorance is a blessing. Yes well, don't dillydally. The Princess hasn't got all day."

Toadsworth began leading the way back into the caste. Luigi was actually kind of annoyed that the old fart just insulted his intelligence but supposed he had no choice but to follow. The rest of the creatures that had brought him cheered and shouted their goodbyes before the doors closed behind him.

"This way if you please, Master Luigi." Toadsworth hollered from the end of the hall.

Luigi began to walk towards the old man while taking in the simplistic beauty of the castle. The floor was black and white tiles with a red carpet that led to another set of doors. The walls were pink and decorated with hearts. Luigi thought that if this _was_ Alice in Wonderland, then this would be the Queen of Hearts castle. Finally, he caught up with Toadsworth.

"Master Luigi, may I have a word with you first?"

Luigi nodded.

"The Princess has a very rare condition that makes her…unique from other toads. Now your brother has thankfully been able to see past this to the beautiful person she is on the inside. I only request that you use the same sort of humility and tact." Toadsworth instructed heavily.

Luigi gulped before nodding his understanding. Luigi was never good as these sorts of things though. Just last week he took Daisy to the movies and couldn't even concentrate on the screen because of the man sitting next to them who was missing two fingers. And he was expected not to make a scene over this princess who was supposed to be an ugly toad? He was starting to feel queasy and was thinking up a thousand different ways to get Mario back for this. Before he was even remotely close to being ready, the doors swung open before him.

"Her Highness, Princess Peach Toadstool of Mushroom Kingdom, may I present Green Mario, Luigi." Toadsworth announced bowing.

Luigi walked forward keeping his eyes on the floor. When he saw the stairs in his view he stopped and bowed assuming he was doing it right. He had never actually met royalty before.

"Oh my! You must be Mario's brother!" He heard a sweet voice gasp in surprise.

He could feel himself wanting to look up, but kept himself from doing so. After all, it was better not to know instead of gasping in shock and disgust.

"Yes Princess." He responded his eyes still focused on the top stair leading to her throne.

"Please call me Peach." She urged.

Luigi saw two dainty pink shoes appear on the stair he was looking at that led up to the hem of a pink dress. Then he watched them come closer to him, and he felt two arms wrap around him. Luigi froze feeling himself get grossed out. However, then he realized that it wasn't slimy like a toad. She didn't even smell like a pond dweller. She kind of smelled like strawberries. She pulled back and Luigi finally looked up.

To say she was the last thing he possibly expected was an understatement. The girl standing before her was as far from a hideous toad as he could imagine. It could almost be accurate to say that she was an angel. Her golden blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her large eyes were crystal blue, and her nose was soft and delicate. Her rosy lips were curved into a smile and she was wearing a long floor length pink ball gown.

"I'm sorry for being so forward, but I feel like I already know you after all of the stories your brother has told me."

Luigi was literally stunned into silence. He couldn't even think of anything to say. He saw Peach turn slightly downcast, and he heard Toadsworth clearing his throat from across the room.

"I know my appearance may be…shocking, but you don't need to be afraid of me."

Luigi blushed. "I'm sorry Princess, I just didn't expect you to be so…"

"Ugly." She concluded sadly.

Luigi stared at her incredulously. What was she talking about?

"No beautiful." He admitted still blushing.

"Really?" She perked up.

Luigi nodded embarrassed. She laughed softly.

"Mario said the same thing the first time he met me. You are both very sweet."

"Thank you Princess." Luigi told her shyly.

She smiled before something dawned on her. "Speaking of which where is Mario?"

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**So finally Mario has made his grand appearance. I also through Peach in there. Needless to say, this has been a long day for Luigi. In the next chapter, we'll catch back up with Daisy and I'm working hard on getting it done. I could possibly have it finished by next week, but I'm going to say definitely with in this month. Thanks everyone for reading, and let me know how I did.**


	13. Chapter 13 The Hostage

**Wow, I am so sorry about the late update guys! I don't know why I always do that with Daisy's part. I even knew exactly how I wanted this chapter to go... Anyways, I've been so excited because this is definitely one of my most popular stories so I've been working really hard to get the next chapter done. So thanks to everybody who like my story! :)**

**I know its been awhile, but really, I still don't own Mario or the other characters or settings or etc.**

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**Chapter 13- The Hostage**

Daisy had one word to describe this entire situation: dumb. No matter how many times she tried to explain that she wasn't this princess the idiot alien, Tatanga, just kept blowing her off. At this point Daisy was sitting alone in the tower of the castle he dropped her off at waiting for her "wedding". She had been forced into a yellow ballgown with orange trim with white gloves and a golden crown with a green centered daisy for the jewel. She felt girly and frilly and ridiculous. She kept staring out the window anticipating seeing a green hat cross the desert. However, Luigi had yet to appear. She was beginning to get a little worried that he wouldn't come at all.

"So my dear, are you ready to get started?"

Daisy felt her hands ball into fists. She turned around to face Tatanga.

"Unless you want your ugly purple face rearranged, I would leave now." She threatened.

Tatanga sighed. "Is that how you want to start our reign together? Full of senseless violence? I would have thought you had more respect for your kingdom, Princess Cynthia."

"I've already told you that I'm not a Prin-" Daisy stopped in mid rant.

She frowned. Cynthia was her mother's name. Was it just a coincidence that he called her that? Tatanga smirked obviously convinced he had broken her down. He opened his mouth to make another snide comment when the entire tower shook violently.

"What was that?" Daisy asked trying to steady herself.

Tatanga marched over to the window before he jumped back in anger and surprise.

"Super Mario!" He seethed.

Daisy watched him storm out of the room without giving her another glance. As soon as she heard her door lock again, she ran over to the window wondering who would have Tatanga in such a twit. However, she couldn't see anything other than a sparkling blur quickly speeding towards her. She didn't know what this 'Super Mario' was, but she hoped it was some form of help.

Tatanga's forces began to up their antics and started attacking the sparking thing more vigorously. Daisy watched amazed though, as every weapon and attack just bounced right off it. It never once slowed down either. It just kept moving towards the castle in the same manner it had been.

The tower rocked again, and this time Daisy was thrown to the ground. Lucky for her, the door to her prison was knocked open as well. Finally feeling like she could do something again, she sprinted out the door and down the stairs. She arrived in what she assumed was the throne room judging by the tall seats sitting against the wall. She was trying to figure out where to go from here when a boy around her age in red attire ran in straight toward her.

"Are you Daisy? Thank God, I found you. Let's go before that alien comes back." The boy breathed in relief instantly grabbing Daisy's hand.

However, she was sick of this kidnapping thing. After all, how did she know he wasn't just going to take her to another tower and hold her captive? Without hesitating, she reared her arm back and punched the guy across the jaw. He instantly let go and staggered a couple of feet away.

"SON OF A…WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He yelled at her angrily.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are and what you want?" She demanded.

"I'm Luigi's brother and I thought it was obvious I was rescuing you!" He shot back.

She punched him again. "Liar! Luigi doesn't have a brother!"

"Shit! What does he see in you?" He seethed rubbing his sore cheek.

Daisy was about ready to punch him again for that comment when something dawned on her. His hat looked just like Luigi's only it was red with the letter M.

"_I had a brother once. And the last time I wore this hat was the last time I saw him."_

"Wait a minute! Luigi said something once about his missing brother, that's you?" She questioned surprised.

"Yes." The boy sighed exasperated. "And if you quit hitting me I'll take you to him."

She cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "How do I know your telling the truth? Tell me something that only the brother of Luigi would know."

The boy slapped a hand to his face. "_Porca puttana! Questa cagna `e pazzo!_"

Recognizing a few of those words from Luigi's vocabulary Daisy almost believed him right then and there.

"Okay, um, his favorite color is green. And he's really smart and he plays soccer." The boy began to list off.

"Ha! I almost believed you until you got to the soccer thing." She declared triumphantly.

The boy gave her a confused look. "Luigi doesn't play soccer anymore?"

"He's never played soccer." She countered.

The boy looked like he was about to argue with her about that when something went flying into the ceiling knocking debris all around them. Daisy looked up with dread to see Tatanga's flying saucer.

"Oh no." She complained before his tractor beam swallowed her up.

"Hold on Daisy!" The boy hollered up at her before she was trapped within the metal spaceship.

She was getting so sick of this. This time instead of meandering around randomly hitting the walls of her metal prison, she began to look for some sort of switch or button that would let her out. It was in all of the sci-fi movies so why couldn't it happen here? She practically jumped up and down with glee when a panel gave way under her touch opening a sliding door.

"That's right nobody can contain me!" She announced proudly.

Now she just needed to show Tatanga that. It wasn't that big a ship, it couldn't be that hard. She sprinted down the large hallway looking back and forth between the doors on either side, but not finding the purple freak. Finally, the hall ended in a large circular room that she could only assume was the control room. Sitting in the large chair in the center looking out the glass in front of him was Tatanga.

"Alright, I'm done playing games! Put me down now or the next few minutes of your life will be an extremely painful experience!" She threatened.

He wheeled around in surprise and gasped. "How did you escape?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Really?"

However, before either of them could say anything else the entire craft rocked and alarms began to blare.

"What?" Tatanga cried in confusion.

They both looked out the windshield-like glass to see the red capped boy was flying one of those old World War I planes shooting at the spaceship. She couldn't help but wonder where he even found one of those.

"Damn that Super Mario. I'll kill him if it's the last thing I do." Tatanga grumbled grabbing a joystick looking instrument that maneuvered the craft.

Daisy fell to the ground as the spaceship made a sharp right. Then Tatanga started pushing buttons on the control panel that made the large windshield look like a targeting computer. Daisy gasped as he started shooting back at the boy. She clenched her hands in anger. She may not be completely convinced about the identity of the boy, but he did try to come after her. He was either a stalker or trying to help. She decided upon the last one.

Getting back to her feet she ran over to Tatanga's control panel hitting various buttons. As soon as he realized what she was doing, he shoved her aside. However, it was too late. Whatever she had done caused the entire room to be bathed in an eerie red light with alarms blaring throughout the hull.

"What did you do?" He yelled panicking.

"Sabotage." She declared triumphantly.

"No, you've activated the self-destruct!" He exclaimed after pushing some more buttons.

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "What sort of moron puts a self-destruct button inside his spaceship?"

However, he just pushed past her. "Sorry Princess, if you live through this, I'll be back."

Before she could comment back he opened the door to an escape pod and launched himself away from the ship. Daisy covered her ears as the blast of a rocket sounded through the failing spaceship. It was at that point that it seemed to click for Daisy that she was on a vessel that was about to explode. All of the color drained from her face as she ran over the newly created hole from the escape pod. She was still several hundred feet in the air. Even if she was eleven feet tall again she wouldn't survive that jump. She looked back to the control panel. Conveniently, the self-destruct sequence came with a timer counting down from ten. If she wasn't so frightened, she would have rolled her eyes at the cliché situation she found herself in.

"Daisy!"

Daisy looked down to see the boy in the plane was pulling up beside her.

"Jump Daisy!" He called over to her.

"Are you insane?" She hollered back.

"Just jump, I'll catch you!" He shouted impatiently.

"This isn't a stupid action movie!" She yelled back.

At that moment she checked back to see the timer now read two. If she had any hope of surviving the explosion she would have to jump. She held her breath like she was about to dive under water and jumped out of the spaceship. A mere second later Tatanga's ship exploded showering her in hot metal and embers. True to his word though, the boy managed to catch Daisy in the plane.

"Hold on!" He told her as he began to spin around the debris.

Daisy grabbed onto the first thing she could reach which happened to be the boy's arms.

"What are you doing? I can't steer!" He yelled at her perplexed.

Daisy quickly changed her grip to the back of his seat, but it was too late. A chunk of metal hit one of the plane's wings sending them into a nosedive for the ground below.

"We're going to crash!" She squealed.

"Thank you, I didn't notice that." The boy shot back sarcastically.

Daisy would have hit him if she wasn't so scared to move. He started digging through his pockets and pulled out two mushrooms. They looked exactly like the one Daisy ate earlier except they had green caps instead of red.

"Here, eat this." He ordered.

Daisy reached for one wondering what good being super tall was going to do them. However, she went ahead and took a big bite out of it. She felt that funny sensation again, but this one was slightly different. She looked down to see they were fixing to collide with the ground and closed her eyes awaiting the end. She felt a blaze of heat, then nothing.

She was dead. This had to be what death felt like. It was surprisingly painless for death by explosion. She slowly blinked her eyes open to see she was standing in the desert still. In front of her was the remnants of the plane with flames still clinging to it. Daisy suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder.

"Oh my God! We're alive!" She cheered patting herself just to make sure.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." The boy grumbled.

Daisy shot him a look. "What are you talking about?"

"I could have avoided getting our wing ripped off if you hadn't latched onto my arms like that."

"Fine, I'm sorry. But it's no big deal. It all worked out."

"Yeah, but I had to use my last two 1-ups."

Daisy tilted her head curiously. The boy pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation before pointing towards the crash site. Daisy looked closer and saw what used to be a red cap burning next to figure in a yellow dress. She quickly turned away looking at her hands as if they were foreign items.

"Am I a ghost?" She asked.

The boy sighed before putting his arm across her back leading her away.

"No, I told you we used my last 1-ups. They're like an extra life." He explained.

"Oh." She remarked still unnerved by seeing her dead body. "That's kind of strange."

He laughed. "Yeah, normally I'm falling over a cliff when I use it so I don't have to see my old life."

Daisy gave an involuntary shiver. However, she was starting to get over it. At least she was alive. That's when she realized the boy's arm was still around her back. She glared at him and elbowed him in the ribs. He yelped instantly retracting his arm and giving her a few feet of space. An awkward silence seemed to fall over them at that point. Daisy began to feel a little bad for being mean to him, but he really shouldn't have assumed he could just do that like they were best friends. She didn't even know his name.

"So Luigi's brother, do you have a name?" She decided to ask.

"I don't know, do you finally agree that I am Luigi's brother?" He shot back.

She shrugged. "Nothing's impossible. I mean, I just saw my own dead body."

He looked like he was fighting the urge to smile. "It's Mario." He finally told her.

"Hi! I'm Daisy." She introduced shaking his hand enthusiastically.

He stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. "Are you mental?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What makes you say that?"

He shook his head starting to walk again. Daisy grudgingly followed after him. She couldn't decide if she liked the red clad boy or not. He was such a stark contrast from Luigi that she was still having trouble deciding whether they were actually brothers. Although they did sort of look the same if Luigi was shorter, stouter, and had a moustache.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" She finally huffed.

"I told you before I was taking you to Luigi." He responded.

"Well surprisingly enough, that still doesn't give me a basic idea of where he's at."

"Fine, he's at a friend's place."

"Thank you, I feel so much better now." She remarked sarcastically folding her arms against her chest.

He looked at her surprised. "Don't worry, he's okay."

"So why didn't he come with you?"

Daisy instantly regretted that. She didn't want to be upset with Luigi, but it was bothering her a little bit that he didn't save her. Mario grimaced realizing what she was thinking.

"Don't be mad at him. I told him not to."

"I'm not mad." She quickly snapped.

She saw by his disbelieving look that her words seemed to have the opposite effect. She decided it was time for a subject change.

"So what did you mean by Luigi playing soccer?"

Mario shrugged. "He played soccer. We were on the same team. He wasn't as good as me, but he was decent. It was definitely the sport he liked best out of baseball, tennis, ice hockey…"

"Wait! Are you telling me that Luigi used to be a big athlete?"

Mario gave her a funny look. "Are you sure you know my brother?"

Daisy wasn't sure anymore.

"Maybe you should tell me some more about the Luigi you remember." She suggested.

Mario slowly nodded his head. "Alright, but you have to tell me about your Luigi and how you got here."

"Deal." Daisy agreed.

With that Mario launched into the story that would nearly blow Daisy's mind. She didn't know why Luigi hid all of this from her. But between him and her mom, she had come to an important realization. The people she was close to, she really didn't know at all.

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**Okay, I don't know about you guys but I loved writing the meeting between Mario and Daisy. Oh and the phrase was in Italian, if you're really curious just copy and paste to google translate. Leave me more reviews, I'd love to know what you guys thought!**


	14. Chapter 14 The Story

**...Hi everyone...So I didn't die. No, in all honesty I really feel bad about taking this long to post. However, I got sidetracked between the mountain of homework I would have each night, my 35 hour weeks I work, and just general writer's block. But I went back over and re-read what I had done previously and remembered how much I had enjoyed this story and decided I really needed to finish it. So here's a start, hopefully I won't take years with my next update.**

**As always I own none of the Mario characters or other copyrighted things.**

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**Chapter 14- The Story**

"Would you like another piece of cake Luigi?" Peach offered.

Luigi's eyes lit up in anticipation. "You're spoiling me Princess."

She giggled. "Is that a no?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" He instantly responded helping himself to his third pink-frosted slice of heaven.

He and Peach had been sitting in the lounge mostly sharing recipes and eating cake. She had originally baked it for Mario, but at the rate he was diminishing it there might not be any left for the red clad hero.

"So my brother saves you on a regular basis from this Bowser guy?" Luigi finally asked in between bites.

Peach smiled and nodded.

"And is he a toad too?" He asked confused by the whole thing.

Peach giggled. "No Bowser is a koopa."

"And what do koopas look like?" Luigi continued.

"Well most of the time they're little and yellow with green or red shells. I believe Mario called them a…turtle?"

Luigi nodded his head at the correct pronunciation.

"However, Bowser is different from most koopas. He's about ten feet tall and breaths fire." Peach explained seriously.

Luigi just about choked on his cake. A dragon? His brother rescued princesses from dragons? He put a hand to his head. This was just too much. And now that he was thinking of Mario rescuing people he came back to the topic of Daisy. He really hoped she was okay.

"Announcing Master Mario and Princess Daisy."

Luigi and Peach both looked up at Toadsworth as the two came around behind him.

"I'm not a princess!" Daisy shot back.

"Believe me, nobody besides Toadsworth thought that." Mario remarked.

"Well you certainly know how to sweep a girl off her feet." Daisy sneered sarcastically.

That's when they both caught sight of the green clad boy.

"Luigi!" They both exclaimed before glaring at each other.

They began walking briskly towards him almost as if in a race to get to him first. That's when Daisy stuck her foot out and tripped Mario. She smirked triumphantly as she moved past him towards her boyfriend. However, Mario reached out and grabbed the hem of her dress pulling her back onto her butt. Luigi watched in fascination and worry as this led to an all-out wrestling match that Peach promptly broke up.

"Mario! I'm ashamed. How could you treat a guest this way?"

Mario instantly jumped up guiltily. "I'm sorry Princess."

Luigi got up and helped Daisy up. "What were you guys doing anyways?"

However, she didn't even notice him. Her eyes were glued to the blonde girl across the room.

Mario turned to Luigi. "So bro, your girlfriend and I were talking and…"

"You're Princess Peach!" Daisy suddenly exclaimed startling everyone in the room.

The pink princess blushed smiling. "Yes, I am. Have we met before?"

Daisy giggled uncharacteristically. "No way! I mean, not at all your Highness. This is just like meeting a celebrity!"

"Thank you, you're far too kind." Peach modestly waved off.

"Whoa! How do you know who Peach is?" Mario demanded.

Daisy glared at him. "From the bedtime stories of course."

"Bedtime stories?" Luigi questioned more than a little lost.

"Sure, didn't you guys get told stories about Princess Peach and Mushroom Kingdom?" She confirmed cocking her head slightly in confusion.

"No! We got told normal ones." Mario sneered.

"Oh and so my stories aren't normal even though we're living it?"

"Yeah because it's so normal to…"

"Enough!" Luigi finally shouted surprising everyone.

He couldn't take anymore of this fighting between the two people closest to him. For some reason, he had been under the impression that if Daisy were to ever meet Mario they would become instant friends. However, he could now see their personalities were so close they clashed against each other. He mentally groaned. Perfect.

"Look it's been a really long…and kind of a weird day." Luigi sighed.

"You can say that again." Daisy grumbled in agreement.

"Oh my dear! I did not even think about your trials, forgive me." Peach inserted regrettably.

Luigi instantly started feeling bad. "No, that's not…"

However, Mario put a hand on his arm shaking his head like it wasn't even worth arguing. Peach clapped her hands and Toadsworth instantly came running back in the room.

"Please ask the cooks to begin on dinner for my friends and I." Peach ordered politely.

"Of course Princess. Do I need to draw up some rooms for your…guests as well?" Toadsworth questioned.

"That would be very nice! Thank you Toadsworth." Peach beamed.

The small old man toad waddled back out of the room grumbling something about Luigi, the green clad boy was certain.

"Now what brings you and Daisy to Mushroom Kingdom?" Peach asked turning towards Luigi.

"Well actually…"

"How about we start with what have you been doing while I was gone?" Mario interrupted glaring at Luigi with his disappointed older brother face.

Luigi pulled at the collar of his shirt feeling very uncomfortable.

"The thing is…"

"Why did you hide all of this from me Luigi?" Daisy asked quietly.

Luigi swallowed past the lump in his throat seeing how sad she looked. Then something dawned on him.

"Hold on a second! None of this is important right now! You!" Luigi pointed at Mario. "You left me in that desert! What happened with the alien? And why in the world are you here?! What happened that night?"

Mario rubbed at his temples. "Mama mia, I can already see this is going to be a long night."

"Mario, they're our guests, and Luigi has been waiting a long time for this." Peach mediated.

Daisy pouted slightly not getting her answers first, but seemed just as curious as Luigi. Mario smiled sincerely at Peach making Luigi think there was something there. Then his normal confident smirk came back as he turned his attention to Luigi.

"Where to start? Well I think I was doing homework or something." Mario smoothed his mustache.

Luigi snorted. "You doing homework? Don't make me laugh."

Daisy snickered slightly at this.

Mario thought about it a little more before he suddenly lit up. "That's right I was meeting Pauline! How's she doing by the way?"

"She dropped out of high school last year to take care of her newborn son." Luigi answered stiffly.

Mario sighed shaking his head. "Good old Pauline. Yeah, I got a text from her to meet up by the playground on our block. So I figured that was as good a time as any to break up with her."

"You were going to break up with her?" Luigi questioned curiously.

Mario smirked again. "Do you really think I was so ignorant to not see how she was treating you?"

Luigi flinched in surprise. He kind of did.

"Mario, who is this Pauline? And what do you mean by break up?" Peach questioned slightly confused.

Mario turned an intense shade of pink. "I-It doesn't matter now." He assured.

Luigi was about to crack up. He had never heard his brother stutter before.

"Anyways," Mario sat down sighing. "I was waiting there by myself when the strangest thing happened…"

_Mario was sitting out on the swing sighing with impatience. Pauline was late. Really he shouldn't have been too surprised, but she had texted him. He checked his phone again. He had now been out there for thirty minutes. So much for twenty tops, Luigi was probably about to have a panic attack. He finally jumped up heading home. Screw Pauline, he was going to be a gentleman about this and break up with her in person, but if she wasn't going to give him the same courtesy, he'll just do it in school the next day._

_ He was strolling along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets when something grew bright behind him. He shrugged it off thinking maybe it was a car passing by when he could feel it getting hotter as well._

_ He turned around nearly jumping ten feet in the air in surprise. A flaming meteor was hurdling straight towards him. He stood there in awe for half a second before his danger senses finally kicked in and he sprinted down the street. He could tell from the heat that it was getting closer to him, and he began looking for any means of escape. An open manhole suddenly caught his attention in the middle of the street. He poured in the last bit of speed diving for safety, only to feel the hot rock collide with his body. He felt like his body was burning as he fell into the darkness of the manhole that never seemed to end._

"Hold on a second!" Luigi interjected. "You expect me to believe you were hit by a meteor…and lived?!"

"You were hit by lightning." Daisy pointed out.

"Really?" Mario asked amazed.

"There is a big difference between an electrical surge that you have a chance of living from and a giant flaming inferno that should probably have destroyed the entire neighborhood as well!" Luigi argued.

Mario gave him a blank look. "Well…did it?"

"No." Luigi narrowed his eyes.

"Well there you go." He shrugged.

"Yeah Weegee, you shouldn't try to make such a big deal out of nothing." Daisy rubbed his arm soothingly.

He could just kill them.

"I am learning so much!" Peach piped up animatedly. "What exactly is a phone?"

The other three tried to cover their snickers at Peach's innocent question.

"Fine." Luigi sighed pushing past illogic for the time being. "You were hit with a meteor."

_Mario felt disoriented when he was finally able to wake up. For one thing he remembered it being dark when he left, and yet he could feel the sun shining brightly. He put a hand to his head groaning only to yelp at the temperature of his hand. He opened his eyes to look down at it, but couldn't find anything wrong with it._

_ "Weird." He complained sitting up._

_ He took in the view finding something was definitely wrong. For one thing, he wasn't anywhere he recognized. It was the most beautiful place on earth with vividly green grass, small little mushroom shaped houses, and strangely of all, little mushroom people._

_ "Who are you?" One of them with a red spotted cap inched closer curiously._

_ "Mario. Who are you?"_

_ He smiled. "Nice to meet you Mario. I'm Toad. This is Toadette, Toadbert, Toadmy, and Toadio."_

_ "Sup guys." He waved at all of the creatures around him._

_ "Are you here to rescue the princess?" The pink capped one introduced as Toadette asked hopefully._

_ Mario scratched the side of his head in confusion before it suddenly dawned on him. He was dreaming. He chuckled standing up._

_ "Sure. Sounds like fun."_

_ The mushroom people gaped at him in awe._

_ "Everyone! Mario the Mario is going to save Princess Peach!" Toad cheered._

_ Suddenly a bunch of mushroom people surrounded him, cheering just as enthusiastically and shaking his hand. Mario grinned at the treatment. They already considered him a hero, and he hadn't even done anything yet._

_ "Make way!" An older mushroom man pushed his way through the group._

_ He observed Mario carefully poking him a couple of times before finally nodding his head satisfied._

_ "You have been chosen by the Stars Master Mario. Do not fail us."_

_ Mario nodded confidently. "Not a chance. Just tell me where to go."_

_ "Very well." The older man nodded. "She is being held prisoner by Bowser in one of his eight castles. The first one is in that direction. If she's not there, you'll receive directions on how to reach the next one."_

_ "Sounds easy enough." Mario smirked adjusting his cap._

_ "We're counting on you Master Mario." The mushroom man stressed._

_ "Your Princess is as good as safe. I don't ever lose."_

_ With that he ran off in the direction pointed out to him._

"Of course, I had no idea that I was going to be defying gravity to make incredible jumps, running from koopas and goombas, or fighting them off. And I really wasn't expecting what I found in the last castle." Mario summed up crossing his hands behind his head.

"So you actually went to rescue a princess in a castle from a dragon just like that." Luigi deadpanned.

Mario shrugged. "I really did think it was a dream. And Bowser isn't exactly like a dragon. He's a lot more annoying and less cool."

Daisy and Luigi blinked at him. Mario chuckled at their faces, but before he could explain more, Toadsworth returned announcing dinner was ready as more mushroom people appeared with trays that they placed before each occupant at the table. Luigi quietly thanked them before they slipped away as his mouth watered from the delicious smells.

"So you mentioned they called you 'Mario the Mario'." Daisy pointed out as she pushed around some of the vegetables in the soup before her.

"And your point?" Mario sighed exasperated.

"I'm pretty sure I just stated it." She snapped.

Luigi decided to interject if for nothing else but his and Peach's sanity.

"Do they think your species…is a Mario?" He asked.

Mario grinned and nodded. "That's how things are done here. Everyone is named by their species. All of the toads have the word toad somewhere in their name, same with the koopas and the goombas."

Luigi could feel his head spinning with all of the strange terminology when something dawned on him.

"That's why they called me Green Mario when I arrived." He marveled.

Mario put a hand to cover his mouth before he sprayed food as he started choking out a laugh. Luigi narrowed his eyes at him.

"That's hilarious." He finally gasped. "But yeah, that would be why."

"Then what about Peach? Why isn't she…?"

Luigi didn't know how to finish that sentence because it was obvious she thought she was of the same species as the little mushroom people known as toads. However, at the same time he knew she had to be a human like himself which meant she was either adopted and never told about it, or under some kind of spell that would offend her. The logical part of his mind wanted to deny the last option but given the circumstances, he couldn't very well write it off.

"Well…" She started slowly her hands in her lap.

"Peach is special." Mario instantly jumped to her defense.

Luigi raised an eyebrow at him, but Mario just continued to glare at him with a look that screamed Peach was off limits as a conversation topic.

"Okay, here's my second question." Daisy started in again making Luigi want to slap a hand to his face.

"Alright." Mario growled slowly.

"As we were walking to the castle, one of the toads asked you if you wanted to play Mario Karts. What is that about?"

Luigi was surprised to see Mario's cheeks turn a slight shade of red as he gave a nervous laugh.

"The thing is…it had been a really long time since I had gotten to do the things I enjoyed like baseball, soccer, hockey, or go-karts. So, thinking I was the only one from our world who would ever be here, I 'invented' some games for the toads." He admitted.

"You mean you stole games from our world and changed the name to make them yours?" Daisy asked incredulously.

"You made your name a trademark." Luigi accused.

Mario's cocky smirk quickly returned. "Damn straight."

"Wow, that's pathetic even for you." Daisy sneered.

"Jealous you didn't think of it first?" Mario mocked.

"You know that was the exact thought that was passing through my head. I've been here for less than twenty-four hours. I should teach the residents to play basketball and call it Daisy-ball." The auburn haired girl remarked sarcastically.

Luigi really hadn't been paying attention to them anymore. The more he began to process this information, the more pissed he grew. For five years now as he wallowed in guilt in the mausoleum he called a home, his brother was here happily playing games with creatures that looked up to him like Superman. While he had given up the things he enjoyed to take care of his grieving parents, Mario had gotten everything he wanted. Luigi suddenly jumped up his hands slamming into the table harder than he had meant to.

"Luigi, is everything okay?" Peach asked concerned.

Luigi ignored her boring his eyes straight into his twin.

"_Si cazzo bastardo_." He growled softly.

Mario narrowed his eyes in confusion. "_Che diavolo?"_

Luigi turned away from him walking towards the exit.

"Luigi." Daisy soothed putting a hand on his arm.

He gave her an apologetic look shaking his head in frustration.

"I need some air." He explained as he backtracked out of the dining room trying to put as much distance between him and his brother as he could.

* * *

**So I decided Luigi needed to have a moment of anger because let's face it, this is a lot to take in. But never fear...Daisy to the rescue! Once again, I would like to say I'm sorry and if you hate me, I understand completely. Just leave an unbiased review of the chapter, and you can tell me what a horrible person I am at the end.**


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